The Storm
by Dextolan
Summary: Collaberation with Sarry22. The team get back home after a case when a storm hits. They're trapped in the Bureau, hurt, alone, scared and the storm is getting worse. Will they find a way out or will they lose more than they bargained for? This story will be written by Sarry22 and myself, read the AN to find out more.
1. When Lightning Strikes -1-Dextolan

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or it's characters, all rights go to CBS)**

 **Hey wonderful people who have been so kind as to click on this story!**

 **So first and foremost this is a collaboration story between myself and sarry22. Therefore I do not know the exact course this story is heading in and I don't have any warnings for you. Basically, I will write a chapter and then hand over to sarry22 to write the next one and it will continue like that until the fic ends. I promise you that she is a terrific writer and I hope this goes to plan, this is our first time doing something like this and I'm really excited to see how it turns out.**

 **Okay, now that's out of the way, here's the basics of this fic.**

 **The team are caught in a gigantanormous (yup, I'm pretty sure I just made that word up) storm and they have to try and find a way to survive in the bureau with raging floods, and winds and all the caboose that Mother Nature likes to spring on our asses every once in a while.**

 **Sound good? I'm a terrible explainer of things so trust me the story will be better than that crappy blerb.**

 **Right, I'm getting a little too into this 'Authors Note', as per. I should just shut up and give you what you came for.**

 **Fine...here yooouuuuu gooooooooo!**

* * *

"Jeez, that has to be one of the longest cases I've ever done", moaned Morgan, craming his go bag into the overhead lockers.

"Actually our longest case was on October 12th 2007, that lasted 24 days, 13 hours an-" Reid rambled, but Hotch cut him short.

"And if we don't hurry up we will be caught in the storm. So, just take a seat", Spencer mumbled apologetically, taking two books from his bag and taking his seat. Morgan smirked, pulled out his IPod and took the seat opposite to Reid, with JJ squeezing next to him and Rossi sitting beside Reid. Hotch and Emily took the couch and soon enough the jet was in the air and they were all settling themselves for a long flight.

After about 20 minutes, Spencer looked up from his second book (having finished the first 5 minutes before) and glanced outside.

"Looks like we're heading into another storm", he grimaced, straining his neck to get a good look. Rossi looked up from his laptop and sighed.

"You really know how to ease my nerves", he said sarcastically, making Emily smile.

"It's fine Rossi, the reports said the storm would be mild and shouldn't hit Quantico until tomorrow. We're fine", she reassured, going back to her magazine. Rossi huffed and looked out of the window. The sky was grey and miserable, and icy flecks peppered the glass.

The plane suddenly jolted and shook; Rossi grabbed onto his armrest and held his breath. Morgan grinned at his reaction.

"You wipe that smile off your face. I know what you're scared of and I'm not afraid to tell Reid so he can prank you again", Rossi smirked darkly, making Morgan shrink back in his seat. Spencer's eyes widened like they did whenever he figured something out. Morgan kicked his leg under the table.

"Ow! Hey, I didn't do anything", Spencer whined.

"I saw that look it your eyes. If I catch you two conferring it will be more than a kick", Spencer gulped nervously, but Rossi chortled.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist", Rosi laughed and JJ had to cover her mouth to surpress the giggles.

Morgan went to retaliate when the jet shook violently, knocking Reid's books onto the floor as he grabbed his belt buckle.

Rossi lent back into the seat and closed his eyes tightly.

"You know what we really need to worrry ab-"

"REID! You're not helping!" Cried Rossi, managing to pry his trembling hand from the armrest and clamp it over Spencer's mouth. Morgan snickered, putting his headphones back on and ignoring the bumping of the aircraft that made Rossi shift uncomfortably.

* * *

As soon as the jet landed and the seatbelt light dinged off, Rossi lept from his seat, shoving his laptop into its carrier and rummaging around for his go-bag in the overhead lockers. He was gone before Emily could even fold her magazine.

"I guess he _really_ doesn't like turbulence", she mused, heading for her own bag. JJ stood up and stretched.

"Uhhh, I can't wait to get in my bed", she sighed. Dropping her arms and peering over at Reid.

Like Morgan he had dropped off to sleep, after finishing his second book. She grinned at the sight of the two sleeping, rubbing her hands together cunningly.

"JJ, I don't think that's a-" Hotch started, but it was too late, JJ was already clapping her hands together loudly.

"WAKE UP! WE'VE RUN OUT OF COFFEE", that seemed to work when Reid sat bolt upright.

"Wha'.." he groaned, almost sliding from his seat.

"That was cruel", Emily laughed, watching a disorientated Reid unbuckle his belt and glance around in bewilderment.

"No, this is cruel", JJ corrected, leaning over Morgan's face and gently lifting one side of his headphones. She pulled it as far as it would go without snapping and then released it. It smacked painfully against Morgan's face with a loud whack.

Morgan's eyes snapped open and he reached up clumsily, knocking his headphones off his head, causing them to curl up and pinch his nose. He jumped when the wire tickled his face, his face twisting in fear.

"Nahh", he hissed, throwing the headphones off his face and sending them sprawling down the aisle. Reid started laughing along with JJ and Emily and Morgan stood up angrily.

"What did you think was on your face?" JJ Squealed, tears filling her eyes.

"Don't do that again", he chided, shouldering past her, his cheeks burning red.

"I think I know what you're scared of now", Spencer panted, grabbing his sides which hurt from laughing.

"Don't even think about pranking me. I _will_ start a full on war with you, and you should know that payback's a bitch", Spencer held up his hands in mock surrender, seeing that Morgan wasn't in the best mood for teasing.

* * *

They managed to get off the jet without any further incident. The clouds were swirling above their heads, Spencer glanced up and quickened his step to the SUVs.

"Hurry up guys, Hotch wants us to finish our paperwork before we go home" Emily said, hopping into the passengers seat beside Morgan, Reid sliding into the back.

"Seriously? it's like 9pm", groaned Morgan, slamming his head into the steering wheel.

"Stop whinging and drive, I'd rather get it done than have to get up early tomorrow to do it", Emily retorted. Spencer glanced out the window. The storm was getting closer...and worse.

* * *

They arrived at the bureau just as Spencer had begun to drop off again. Hotch was first to the door and scanned his I.D. card, pressing in a code which caused the reader to flash green.

"Can I help you sir?" Hotch lifted his head and was met by two beefy looking security guards.

"SSA Aaron Hotchner, Unit Chief of the BAU, we're just coming to finish paperwork", Hotch explained, showing the men his I.D.

"Fine. There's no-one else here. I think they took advantage of getting let off early and the day off tomorrow", grunted the darker haired guard. Hotch frowned, but the second guard with a thick beard and Hispanic accent explained.

"Storm is getting close", was all he said, and Hotch nodded, slipping past and heading for the elevator.

"We better get on then", he deadpanned, holding the doors for his team before letting them shut on the guards.

"Well they were friendly", snorted Rossi.

"Is Garcia still here?" JJ asked, watching the floor numbers light up.

"She said she was going to wait for us, but if everyone left who's to say Kevin didn't drag her with him", Morgan answered, stifling a yawn.

"Maybe we should just take our files back-", Hotch started, rubbing his neck.

"Aw, no way man. I'm not bringing that case to my apartment", Morgan argued and JJ nodded in agreement.

"Yea, let's just get whatever needs doing done, so we can forget about...well, you know", the elevator halted and the doors jolted open. Reid was the only who seemed to notice the change in the elevator. It seemed less smooth, jerking them around on its assent the doors taking 0.26 seconds longer than they normally did. Spencer was about to point it out when he realised that it was one of those things he'd blurt out which no-one wanted to hear, so he closed his mouth quickly.

"Finally! What took you so long?!" Garcia stumbled over to them comically in her 3 inch heels. She jumped into Morgan's embrace, quickly moving on to Emily, then JJ, like a Congo line of embraces. She released Reid and beamed at them.

"I'm glad you guys are here. I've been alone for like 3 hours now and it's all fun and games until I start hearing things", they all laughed, except Reid who perked his ears to listen to the 'things'.

"Being alone makes baby girl paranoid?" Morgan teased and she smacked his shoulder.

"Baby girl is about ready to go home, so can you please finish your paperwork so we can leave", Morgan raised his arms in surrender as she whined and hurried over to his desk. "Yea, you better run. Now hurry up or I _will_ spank you". Morgan smirked back at Garcia, who skipped back to her lair to get her own work done.

"We will leave in an hour tops. If you haven't finished by then you'll just have to take it home", Hotch said before stepping into his office. Rossi saluted them and whirled into his own office, leaving JJ, Emily, Reid and Morgan in the bullpen to do their work.

* * *

"Reid! Slow down man! We've been like 30 minutes and you've...", Spencer shut his last file and lent back in his chair. "Finished?" Reid turned his head to Morgan and nodded, the older agent hung his head and moaned.

"I can help you," Morgan perked up at those words, whipping his head round at Reid. "Buuuut...you have to tell me what you're scared of. More specifically, what Rossi thinks you're scared of", Reid added slyly. Derek dropped his head on his desk.

"No can do, pretty boy. I think I will take my chances on the paperwork instead", Reid shrugged and opened one of his many books lined on his desk.

Reid zoned out, immersed in the pages of his book. He was about to finish one of the final chapters when a clap of lightning jolted him from the words.

"Jesus!" Morgan gasped, standing up to look out the window.

"I think we should go now", Emily murmured, watching the heavy rain patter the windows. Hotch came out of his office, glancing at his watch.

"We've been here for an hour and a half. The storm warnings are getting worse. We're leaving", he affirmed, shutting his door and trudging down to the bullpen.

"Yea no kidding, looks like a monsoon", Morgan snapped.

"Actually monsoons usually only occur in West Africa, Asia and Australia. A monsoon was typically used to describe reversing wind in addition to a change in precipitation that can be associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea. The likelyhood of a monsoon in Virginia now, considering the time of year would be 3.5%..." Reid waffled and became so lost that he had to take a big breath, luckily Emily interrupted him before he could continue.

"I don't think he was being literal, Reid", she laughed, causing Spencer to blush.

"Oh...Yea...right, sorry", he mumbled.

Several loud buzz's and beeps filled the room, Morgan was the first to get his phone out.

"Shit. Red alert-" Garcia stumbled into the room, yelling out to them

"Guys! Guys!" She called. "I looked at the news t-they want everyone to stay indoors. They're talking about a full scale evacuation", she cried, her lips trembling in panic.

"I know, they gave out an alert to our phones", Morgan grunted.

"We have to leave now!" Hotch commanded, leading the way to the elevator. "Dave! We're going!" He shouted back to Rossi, who rushed out his office appearing very flustered. Another crash of lighting and rumble of thunder caused Rossi's flight down the steps, chasing behind the others.

Hotch smacked his finger into the elevator button. He frowned when the button didn't light up, pressing harder.

"What is it?" Hissed JJ, tapping her feet impatiently.

"Electrical fault", Spencer whispered, realising why the elevator had been unusually stubborn. They all took a step back from the elevator, as if it was ready to electrocute them.

"Aw shit... how are we going to get out?" Morgan groaned and the girls and Rossi gave him a 'seriously' look. "What?"

"There _are_ stairs in this building", JJ Snorted, motioning to the unused set of double doors.

"Oh right" he said dumbly, looking at his feet in embarrassment.

Another boom of thunder knocked them back to their senses. Spencer jumped at the sound and stumbled to the staircase. He was halfway to the door when the room filled with brilliant light knocking them all backwards. A streak of white crashed into the building with no restraint, tearing through the floors, debris flying into the air. Garcia screamed, tumbling backwards and scrambling away from the destruction.

Spencer was thrown to the ground; the lightening just inches from his toes. All he could do was watch the stream of electricity thunder into the hallway. He heard the floor beneath him moan and move unsteadily. He screamed out in fear, lunging out to cling on to something. A large chunk of concrete from the floor above nose dived down onto Reid as he tried to pull away. More of the upper floor tumbled around him and he covered his face as he felt himself being pinned down, crunchs followed as a bone or two broke beneath the weight of the debris. Spencer whimpered in agony, his vision blackening. Another stream of lightning tore into the building, connecting with the elevator and stealing power away from them, plunging them into darkness.

"GUYS!" Garcia screamed into the dark.

"Garcia? Garcia, is that you?" A voice close to her croaked.

"Who's that?" Rossi groaned.

"Is anyone hurt?" Hotch's voice joined the chorus. No's began to fill the dark.

"Morgan?"

"I-I'm alright, I think m-my shoulders dislocated, but I'm o-okay",Morgan replied weakly, pushing Garcia's bangle stacked arm off his lap.

"JJ? Rossi? Emily?" A few grunts followed.

"M-my legs stuck...I-it doesn't hurt much, but I can't g-get it out", Emily added, her voice hitching with fear.

"Reid? Garcia?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine", Garcia quavered.

"Reid?" No reply. Hotch pulled himself up, trying to adjust his eyes to the dark.

"Spence?" The floors groaned, but no-one answered. The bulbs flickered in the bull pen, shedding a dim light over the floor, or what was left of the floor.

The team took in the destruction.

Morgan looked at where the stairs _had_ been. All that was left was gaping rubble and darkness. The floors above and below had caged into themselves. That's when his gaze caught Reid.

"Reid! Wake up man! You've gotta get away from there! SPENCER! WAKE UP!"

* * *

 **As much as I want to keep going I have to know when to stop. I will not be continuing this until chapter 3, but chapter 2 is in good hands, I just hope that my next chapter can live up to hers.**

 **I don't know when the next chapter will be updated because Sarry22 hasn't even read this chapter let alone write the next so please be patient with us.**

 **Thanks for reading, please review tell us what you think and I shall see you in Chapter 3!**


	2. Thin Ice -2- Sarry22

**(Disclaimer: We do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)**

 **Yay! We are back! Today's chapter is brought to you by Sarry22, all credit goes to her. She's written this one and she will write chapter 4 and 6 and however many more we decide to do.**

 **She's done a fantastic job so please review and share your thoughts so far.**

 **Um, Maggie, I do watch those movies occasionally, I haven't seen San Andreas since it first came out and I thought it was really cliche and unrealistic, like you said "cheesy". I think we may try and avoid cheese, but who knows. As long as you enjoy it, that's all that matters.**

 **Okay, without any further ado, I present Sarry22's chapter!...**

* * *

Morgan got his phone out and turned the small flashlight on. He inhaled deeply as he saw the extent of the destruction. Parts of the ceiling and the floor was gone. Panic rose inside of him when he saw how close to Reid the floor started to break down.

"Hotch we have to get Reid away from there! The floor is breaking down. I don't think it will last much longer!" Morgan half yelled with full panic in his voice.

"JJ! Garcia! Help Prentiss to get free and carefully go back to the bull pen!" Hotch ordered and they all sprang into action.

"Rossi help me to get Reid out. Morgan you try to wake up Reid and inform us when something changes!" Hotch said in a stern voice.

"I will help you!" Morgan replied.

"Morgan your shoulder is hurt and this _is_ the best way to help us!" Hotch said a bit louder this time and Morgan nodded as he understood his point.

* * *

J.J and Garcia knelt on both sides of Prentiss and looked at the piece of ceiling that was covering her right leg. "We will try to remove it on three okay? Emily when we lift it up pull your leg out as fast as possibly okay? I dont want to risk the floor breaking behind us when we just throw it away." J.J said with concern in her voice.

"One!" JJ said as she watched Emily closely as she gathered all her strength for the upcoming escape plan.

"Two!" Adrenaline started to kick in as she got a good grip on the piece of ceiling.

"Three! NOW!" J.J and Garcia gathered all their strength together as they lifted the piece as high as possible so Emily could get out. Seconds later Emily carefully rolled back and her leg was free. "I'm out!" She screamed with relief. Garcia and J.J. lay the piece on the floor again as careful as possible so as not to cause more damage.

* * *

"Sp-!" Reid heard a voice far away but couldn't focus enough.

"Spenc-!" Someone was calling for him? _Morgan_?

"Spencer wake up!" Reid shook awake at the demanding voice, forcing his glued shut eyes open.

Everything around him spun in a nauseating circle as he tried to gather his bearings and make sense of the voices around him. Reid ignored the ringing in his ears and the fact that every breath that he took felt like a knife stabbing him in the chest.

"Okay I think he is waking up." A voice that sounded like under water spoke and he closed his eyes, as he felt his stomach turn.

"No! Hey, hey no sleeping for you Pretty boy!" The sound returned again and he pried his eyes open.

J.J couldn't help but listen to Morgan's attempts to wake Reid up. Hotch and Rossi carefully started to remove the fallen pieces from the ceiling and the glass door from the staircase from their friend.

"J.J you heard Hotch! We should go back to the bull pen! We cant help much over there without the floor breaking down." Garcia half yelled at her. Morgan turned around and gave her an agreeing nod. "We will take care of him! Go and look after Prentiss!" Morgan told her.

J.J made her way back to Emily and Garcia.

"Are you okay Emily?" J.J asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah dont worry about me it could have been much worse. Lets do what Hotch told us to do." Emily said as she carefully got up and tried to not put too much weight on her right leg. Garcia and J.J were by her side in a blink of an eye and helped her to make her way to the bull pen.

Garcia took the handle of the glass door in her hand and pulled it open so J.J and Emily could get through. Suddenly there was another lightning bolt shone through the windows. A second later thunder ripped through the air and made everything shake.

The next thing that was heard was a cracking sound and the glass door was shattering into a million pieces. Garcia screamed out in surprise and covered her face as the glass pieces fell.

All Morgan heard was glass shattering his Baby girls scream and then loud noises as pieces from the ceiling were crashing down!

"Garcia!" Morgan screamed, concerned. He listened carefully, but could only hear grunts, but then a weak whisper reached his ears and he looked down to his young friend.

"Derek. Go help them." Reid said in a very weak whisper. "Keep them safe. Go!" Reid looked up at him and Morgan noticed how Reid struggled to keep his eyes open.

"He is right Morgan go!" Hotch said sternly as Morgan was already getting on his feet.

"I will be back in a few dont worry Pretty boy okay?" Morgan said to calm Reid.

"Wont go anywhere." Reid said with a weak smile as Morgan ran towards the bull pen.

"Baby girl? JJ? Prentiss?" He screamed as he got closer to the mess that once was the ceiling above them.

"Morgan we are here! We are trapped under a lamp or something. Emily and I are not hurt but Garcia has a small gash on her forehead!" JJ yelled back at Morgan as he made his way over to his friends. First thing he saw as he reached the trio was Garcia who apparently wasnt trapped. Morgan fell to his knees beside her and carefully took her face in his hands. The gash was not deep at all so he wasnt surprised when the contact was all it took to wake her up

"Thats it baby girl open those beautiful eyes for me." He said with a small grin on his face as he saw Garcia opening her eyes slowly.

"Morgan? What happened?" She asked as confusion was written all over her face.

"Well the ceiling broke down and a lamp must have hit you. You okay?" Morgan asked her as she was focused again.

"Yes just a bit confused but no dizziness or pain. I guess that's good." She said while watching her surroundings.

"Thank god. Now lets get you two ladies out of your misery and then lets get you in the bull pen. Baby girl can you by any chance help me?" He asked looking at Garcia with still a bit of worry in his look.

"Of course my chocolate thunder. Lets do this." Garcia said as she was moving closer to the lamp.

"You ready? On three okay? One! Two! Three!" Morgan yelled as he began to lift the lamp off of J.J and Prentiss. As quickly as possible they moved away and freed themselves.

"Thank you." They said, breathing heavily.

"Now lets keep going!" Morgan said as he pulled the girls up with his good arm.

* * *

Hotch and Rossi still worked to get Reid free from all the broken fragments of the ceiling.

"Kid you still with us?" Rossi asked midway.

"Yeah." Reid answered clearly struggling to stay awake.

Rossi was about to answer when the ground next to him was beginning to crack. Not good.

"Hotch the floor!" He whispered not to alarm Reid. Hotch just pointed upwards and as Rossi followed the direction he saw that the same was happening with the ceiling. Definitely not good.

"Reid this will hurt but we have to pull you out now" Hotch said as he and Rossi positioned themselves behind Reid each one had a firm hand around Reids Hand ready to pull.

As they were about to start the floor before them gave in. Reid let out an ear piercing scream of scream as he was sliding down.

"Reid hold on!" Hotch yelled as they were trying to pull him up without causing more pain.

"Let go! You will fall too! Let go of me!" Reid yelled with the last strength he seemed to have in him.

"Not happening Pretty boy!" Morgan yelled down as he as well pulled Reid up with his good arm.

They all gathered their strength together to pull him up as he was already hanging halfway down.

A few seconds later Reid was on safe ground as Hotch, Rossi and Morgan carried him to the bull pen. Behind them pieces of the ceiling were already crashing down. Reid felt a wave of tiredness hit him hard and he closed his eyes try to shut out the pain that was burning through his whole body.

He was laid down gently on the ground and a blanket was thrown over him and one under his head. "Thank you for saving me." Reid said with a small smile as he began to drift away.

"Reid!" He heard Morgan yell.

"Spence!" J.J panicked.

"Reid stay awake that's an order!" He could hear Hotchs voice from far away. At least that's how it sounded to Spencer.

He lost the fight to stay awake and slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Wow. I just read that for the first time! That was super good Sarry! You have really set the next chapter up for me, thank you! I will try and do the same for you. Now I've got to follow that...**

 **Thanks for reading and please review!**

 **See you in chapter 3, I best get typing now!**


	3. Lights Out -3- Dextolan

**(Disclaimer: We do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)**

 **Hi again! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter from Sarry22, now it's my turn. I'm really excited to write this chapter.**

 **I've literally been sat in my college library since 1.30, it is now 4.30! I've got so much done, and I was just sat here thinking, 'I know I'll get on with the next chapter' so here I am 'getting in' with this chapter. I have 15 minutes, and knowing me I'll end up spending that time writing the freaking AN, because I'm super sad like that.**

 **There really is nothing else for me to say, but I just want to keep rambling because I'm totally and utterly bored out of my GODAMN mind! I guess I should say thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favourites and followed! It seriously means a lot to us and from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!**

 **Also I see where you're coming from about the lightening and the concrete, I was assuming that there was some metal in the concrete (as is the case with some buildings), but I realise that the concrete would make the metal earthed. So sorry for that error, put it this way the lightening did strike the elevator. I haven't done science for well over a year so if this is inaccurate I do apologise, but like you said it's not meant to be realistic ;)**

 **You clicked on this story for a reason and that reason was not to read this AN, so it's time for me to go away so you can read this chapter. I'm going, I'm going, okay? See ya and enjoy!**

* * *

"Spence!" JJ cried, jumping around a desk and falling beside him, nudging his shoulder lightly, his eyes continued to flutter and he slumped back, stilling.

"Garcia. Penelope, you need to calm down. Breathe. Like me, follow my breathing", Emily placed a hand on Garcia's shoulder as she hyperventilated. She glanced over at Hotch, who was knelt beside Reid, with Morgan and JJ close by trying to coax the young man awake. Rossi lent on a desk and steadied his own panting.

"What's wrong with him, Hotch? Hotch?!" JJ questioned sharply, her eyes burning into an extremely quiet Hotch. Hotch glanced down at Spencer and extended his fingers to the young man's neck, searching for a pulse. He held his breath. It took several seconds to find, but once he felt the soft thumping beneath his fingers he sighed in relief.

"-Hotch!" JJ broke into his thoughts and he flicked his head up to see her glaring at him, worry painting her features.

"Why'd he pass out?" She breathed, watching Aaron closely. Hotch put his own frown on.

"I don't know, I haven't seen his injuries...", Hotch lifted the blanket they'd shrouded Reid in. JJ lent over to assess the injuries. Reid's arms were scratched and beginning to bruise, the bigger cuts were oozing with viscous crimson, and dripping down his pale, slender arms. His face was also littered in scratches, purplish in some places. Hotch gently squeezed Reid's right leg, seeing what damage was there. He started with the less torn pant leg and felt for any breaks, satisfied he moved into the left pant leg, which was full of holes and tears. He lowered his hands catefully, placing them on Spencer's shin. As soon as he felt the leg he knew something was seriously wrong as Spencer whimpered in his unconscious state, bucking slightly. JJ slid her hand into Reid's and felt him squeeze back as he groaned again.

"What is it?" Emily asked, her hands still on Penelope, who was starting to breath easier. Rossi exchanged a look with Hotch and bent down lifting the leg of Reid's pants, confirming Hotch's suspicions. Beneath the fabric the skin had turned a deep purple, extending up the leg and from the strange angle, the bone appeared to have broken.

"Uh...Hotch...", Morgan stuttered his eyes glued on Reid's side. Hotch whipped his head away from Reid's leg.

"I-I don't think that's what we need to worry about right now", muttered Derek, one hand supporting his shoulder, the other limply in his lap and his eyes on Reid's side. Hotch frowned at Derek and followed his eye line.

"Oh shit", he cursed under his breath, crawling over to Reid's side. Garcia gasped.

"I don't think I've ever heard you swear, Sir", she whispered quietly.

"I have", another voice replied. This one was much weaker; full of pain and exhaustion. Spencer winced and tried to sit up.

"Stay down, Reid", Hotch ordered and Reid halted, squinting at Hotch, who was at his side.

"Huh..." He moaned. Hotch was looking at his waist, as was Morgan. "What?" He rasped, looking down at his side. A small pool of blood had begun to form around his broken body. The source was a rod of metal sticking out of his flesh. The sharpened end had burrowed into his skin sticking out gruesomely.

"Oh..." He croaked faintly, closing his eyes again.

"No, don't go to sleep. You might have a concussion", reprimanded JJ, stroking his hand. She took a peek at what they were all so worried about and felt her face flush as a wave of coldness washed over her. "It's fine", she said, more to herself that Reid.

"Can I sit up?" Spencer said barely above a whisper. Hotch glanced at Morgan before shaking his head.

"We need to get this out of you first", Hotch mumbled, making Reid's eyes go wide.

"What? No..." he gasped, holding JJ's hand tighter.

"We have to. You know that..." Hotch tried to negotiate, but paused at the look of terror passing over Reid's ghostly face. Spencer looked down at his wound and swallowed thickly.

"is there something we can wrap around it...stop the bleeding?" Morgan asked, looking over at Rossi who shrugged.

"I'll get the first aid kit", JJ said, scrambling to her feet. Somehow Reid's already pale face, became whiter.

"Y-your shoulder..." Spencer mumbled at Morgan, who was still clutching his shoulder.

"I'll sort that out when I know you're okay", Morgan glanced around at JJ, hoping she'd hurry up with the first aid kit. Reid prayed for another distraction.

"I found this", JJ said, holding up a small green box. "I don't know when the last time it was checked was...but it'll have to do." Reid tried to pull himself up, but Hotch and JJ gently pushed him back down.

Rossi pulled out a length of bandaging out, and examined it. Spencer gulped nervously, as Hotch eyed the metal in his side. He wrapped his palm around it and Reid gasped, flinching and inflicting pain across the lower part of his body.

"A-ac-actually..." Reid started to stutter, his wide eyes secured on the metal.

"I've got to, Reid", Hotch said, but his fingers loosened on the metal.

"Okay, Okay, o-ok-Okay", he whimpered, closing his eyes and turning his head away from Hotch. JJ took his hand.

"You can squeeze my hand as hard as you like", she reassured and Spencer gave a small nod, keeping his eyes shut. He felt the metal shift as Hotch got a firm grip on the foreign object. Spencer yelped and squinted up at JJ with pleading eyes.

"I'll pull it out slowly. Okay. Stay still", Spencer inhaled deeply before Hotch began pulling. Against Hotch's orders Spencer bucked involuntarily, groaning as pain sliced through his body. He felt the slick pole tugging at his muscle and flesh as Hotch gently pulled. Reid squeezed JJ's hand as tight as he could, his teeth gritted together and agony induced grunts slipping past his lips.

As soon as the pole was removed, Spencer's side felt as if it lit up with fire. He inhaled sharply, bringing his fist up to his mouth and biting down hard on it.

"Can I have that bandage now, Dave", Hotch said, holding one hand out the other clutched to Reid's side which had started to flood with blood. Rossi slapped the bandage into his hand and helped lift Reid's shirt so Hotch could bandage him. Spencer kept his eyes closed, hair sticking to the sweat droplets on his brow. He felt pressure on his wound and chanced a peek.

"A-are-are you d-done?", he asked in a small, weak voice. Hotch nodded and took Reid's hand as he tried to struggle up.

"Here", he said, helping Reid into a sitting position, Spencer panted in exertion, as Hotch dragged him up against a desk. He gave Hotch a smile in thanks, his breathlessness preventing him from talking.

"Grab him some water", Hotch ordered and Emily flocked over to the kitchen area. "You okay?" Hotch focused his attention on Reid, who's eyelids were dropping again.

"Fine", he hissed tiredly.

Garcia, who had finally got her breathing under control scooted over to where the others had gathered. She ignored the headache she had and the warm trickle of blood dripping from her cut. JJ wrapped an arm around Penelope, enveloping her in a hug. Morgan shifted uncomfortably as Emily returned and settled the glass next to Reid who couldn't of accepted it due to his limpness.

"What the hell are we gonna do?" Emily voiced their fears. Morgan rubbed his head and sighed. Rossi glanced at the doorway, or what was left of the glass door; most of the corridor had fallen in on itself. The elevator that always offered him great relief at the end of the day was destroyed. Great holes lay in what used to be the doors and the elevator shaft was a wreck.

"Beats me", he muttered unhelpfully. Reid lifted hisfinger, attempting to point to Morgan.

"Y-you're sh-shoul-d-der", was all he could make out.

"Seriously? You were impaled and you're worried about my shoulder", Morgan chortled, wincing again when he moved.

"He's right. We need to access our own injuries", agreed Emily patting her self down, focusing on her leg. She pulled up her pant leg and found a long gash and bruises; nothing too serious.

"Well I'm pretty sure my shoulder's dislocated, but apart from that and a few cuts and bruises I'm fine", Hotch got up, but Morgan waved him away. "I can put it back myself", he insisted and before Aaron could argue, he had a firm grip on his arm and he slowly manoeuvred it. They all winced when a pop echoed from his shoulder and Morgan growled. "See", he spat, his teeth grinding against each other.

"Is everyone else alright? We have bangages and gauze if it's needed", Rossi offered up the box to them , and Morgan took it pulling out a dressing for Garcia's head.

"Are we going to continue to ignore the obvious? We need to get out of here before this place falls apart", JJ fretted, her legs jiggling against the floor.

"I-I guess we could go to the roof", Garcia suggested.

"Reid stay awake."

"'M a-aw-awake, Hotch."

"I'm serious, have some water", Hotch lifted the glass for Reid to sip, but after a few seconds he started coughing.

"How would we get to the roof", JJ frowned, motioning to the stairs.

"There's an emergency staircase somewhere, I can't remember where because it's beeen a long time since our last safety instruction", Garcia mused and Reid nodded his head over to her lair.

"D-down that corridor", he mumbled.

"Okay, so we found our escape route, now how the hell do we get there? Reid can't walk", Rossi pointed out, despite Reid's exhaustive protests.

"I'll go check it out. If it's safe we can carry him down", avowed Emily, Reid started shaking his head slowly.

"I-I can w-walk", he insisted.

"No, you're waiting here. I'll go with you Emily", Hotch chimed in.

"And me", Morgan added.

"No. You stay here too. Your shoulder is still damaged."

"Nuh-uh, Hotch. I ca-"

"You will wait here with Reid, JJ, Rossi and Garcia. Only two of us need to go."

"But-"

"You're staying", Hotch concluded. He gave Reid a quick, anxious glance before heaving himself to his feet.

"Prentiss, lets go. See what supplies you guys can find. If the exits blocked we may have to settle down for the night", Hotch turned his back on them and led Emily across the bullpen.

"Be safe my little rose petals", Garcia called, her bubbliness making a come back.

"Are you alright, Reid?" Rossi asked, adjusting the blanket over Spencer's legs. Reid bit back a plea.

He was craving. He desperately wanted the pain to go away, he wanted to drift off like he did with Tobias. He couldn't admit his feelings, but they flared up the more he kept them hidden.

"'M'alright", he huffed.

"We're getting out of here", the Italian promised, squeezing Spencer's hand and offering him a smile.

"Of course we are! Bossman and Em are going to find a way out and then we can all go home-Uh, I guess we will go to the hospital before that..." She grimaced at Reid and touched her own head.

"I'm gonna sleep for days", sighed Morgan, leaning his head back and practically drooling at the thought.

"I'm going to eat ice cream, watch pretty woman and fall into a sugar coma", Garcia whispered, an almost sensual smile licking her lips.

Reid closed his eyes and smiled when he dreamed of the things he could do. Snuggle up on his couch with a good book until he fell asleep, a mug of coffee going cold on his lamp stand.

A boom of thunder groaned through the building and JJ snuggled closer to Spencer. The rain was pelting hard, and hadn't stopped for hours. Out of the windows white streaks danced among the buildings.

"I hate lightening", JJ's voice quivered.

Another fork of lightning flashed beside the bureau. The lights flicked before lapsing out. Reid's breath caught sharply as they were plunged into darkness.

* * *

 **Finito! Woooooo! You know the funny thing is I haven't written the story yet, but I have this thing where I write the end AN note after the first one because...actually I don't have a suitable reason. Also I'm still in this way too quiet library (yes, I know library's are meant to be quiet, but I am not a quiet gal, so it's quite disconcerting). Also I'm being picked up about half a mile away at 4.45; it is currently 4.38, who thinks I'll make it there? Actually don't answer that, I know I'm going to be late and...OMG! It's 4.39, oh sugar I'm so gunna be late! Pray for me.**

 **Thanks for reading the story I haven't even written yet, please review. Sarry22 will be back with the next aand OH DEAR GOD IT'S 4.40 and I haven't even got off my ass yet! I'm in trouble...**

 **p.s. I was late :D**

 **I've finished it now, a few days later. This story isn't supposed to be realistic or accurate, so please don't try and find faults and point them out because I know the faults. Also I'm sorry if this was boring, but I didn't know what else to write. I shall hand over to Sarry22 now.**


	4. Separated -4 -Dextolan

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or it's character)**

 **Hey, Reader! So sorry for the delay! Time isn't kind and as a result I'll be writing this chapter instead of Sarry22, I hope she will be able to do the next chapter, but she did have some intervention in this one.**

 **It is currently 11.30pm, and I just received word about writing this chapter and luckily I'm very much in the mood to half an hour of writing, that's if I get past this AN.**

 **So, so , so, I just want to clarify to any readers that YES this story is extremely improbable, however it's out there now and like I've said before, I do not leave stories never to be finished. If you can't deal with the inaccurate sciencey stuff then don't read. If you can cope with that then read on and I hope you enjoy.**

 **Please leave reviews, I think some encouragement is needed not only for myself but for the other author Sarry22.**

 **Oh...um...I just got an alert that a stories been updated, can I press pause on the writing for just one second. Okay I'm back...**

 **Alright, here's what you've all been waiting for.**

* * *

"Hotch! Where are you?" Emily stumbled desperately through the darkness, her arms outstretched searching for something; anything.

"I'm here", a monotone voice called ahead of her. "Watch yourself, its flooded down here, including the steps, so don't slip."

Cautiously, Emily inched her foot forward, blinking through the darkness. She felt the edge of her door slip into mid air and reaslied where the step must be. She could hear Hotch sloshing.

"I think I have a torch on my-one second, don't move", he ordered, grunting as he dug around his pockets for his cell. Emily almost fell back when a searing light shone into her eyes. "Sorry", Hotch muttered, pointing the torch at her feet so she could walk down the remaining steps.

She gasped as the cool water licked at her ankles soaking into her touser legs. By the time she got to Hotch it was at mid shin height.

"Gross", she hissed as the murky water danced at her leather boots. Hotch slowly moved his phone around the room, investigating the area. The entire floor was flooded. His eyes caught the big glass doors and he waded over to them, Emily close behind.

"I don't think-" Emily started before Hotch reached the door and grimaced. The torch illuminated the debris that had piled up at the entrance. Branches, broken pieces of metal and other waste refused entry in, which also meant no one could get out. Hotch shouldered the door, smacking into it firmly, but it wouldn't budge. Emily looked out of the glass to the areas the torch lit up.

Like the ground floor, the pavement and roads were vastly flooded, similar debris that clogged up the door was also clogging up the drains preventing them from doing their jobs.

"Ready?" He asked and they both shoved hard on the doo, but it didn't bother dye an inch.

"Is not moving...", Hotch said, turning back to Emily, who was biting her lip nervously.

"We're going to need more help, right?"

* * *

"Reid, calm down, man!"

"Spence you need to breath."

Reid swallowed fast and tried to breath, but the panic was overwhelming and he began hyperventilating. He hated the dark. No, not hated, he was terrified of it, yet here he was, drowning in thick black nothingness, with not a scrap of light to cling onto.

"What's wrong with him?" Rossi called through the darkness and Reid's breath hitched again. He felt JJ's soft hand on his back rubbing soothing circles to ease his laboured breathing.

"Too...d-dark", Spencer rasped, trying to swallow and breath at the same time, sending him into a coughing fit.

"Does anyone have a torch?" Morgan shouted desperately. Rossi fumbled in his pocket for his cell phone when 3 beams of light spewed from Morgan, JJ and Garcia's phones.

"Look, it's okay now, Spence", JJ coed, continuing to stroke his back. Reid continued to breath heavily, but the light shining around the room calmed him.

"Sorry", he mumbled when he was finally able to take a deep revitalising breath.

"You have nothing to be sorry about", Garcia mumbled, giving him her best smile. A small rumble resonated from below them.

"This whole building's unstable", murmured Rossi, looking cautiously at the floor beneath him.

"I hope Em and Hotch are okay", JJ fretted, glancing over at the stairs.

"Maybe we should help", Morgan suggested, which gained him a vigorous shake of Garcia's head.

"No way, Chocolate Thunder. You're hurt", Garcia said raising her eyebrows over her broken glasses; the lens in the hexagonal green frame was cracked in several long abrasions, they also sat on her nose at an angle.

"That includes you, Pen", JJ added, before turning her gaze to Spencer who was quiet.

With a torch beside him Reid continued to shiver, his lips tinged with blue and his face extraordinarily pale.

"You alright, Spence?" JJ asked softly. Reid nodded slowly and regretted it when he was plagued with nausea.

"We might need some help", a distant voice came from the corridor to Garcia's lair. Emily popped her head around the corner, a grimace over her lips. "The entrance is blocked. Hotch thinks we might be able to shift it, but we need more hands", with that Rossi stood, followed by JJ and a hopeful Morgan.

"No way sweetness, you're staying right here with me and my boy wonder." Garcia chided, but Emily gave another grimace.

"Uh...we might need him, Garcia", she hissed guiltily.

"I'm okay with that", Morgan said, getting to his feet, ignoring the ache from his shoulder. Garcia gaped helplessly.

"Wha-...bu-"

"You and Reid hold down the fort 'till I come back for you, okay, Baby Girl?" Morgan simpered, following on JJ and Rossi's heals. Garcia gazed over at Emily, who pinched her lips together apologetically.

"We'll come back if we can't get it open", she called before heading back the way she came.

"But- oh...", Garcia turned to Spencer, who was looking back dully.

"I-I guess we just wait h-here", Reid croaked.

"I guess", Garcia sighed.

* * *

"Hotch, hold up! You don't need to break your collarbone on that", Rossi stopped Hotch before he could slam himself into the glass again. He pressed against the door and motioned the others to do the same.

"On three we push. Okay?" Rossi instucted. The team, minus Garcia and Reid, got into position; Morgan going in with his uninjured shoulder.

"1."

"2", Hotch shifted slightly, eyeing the dark pile of debris blocking the door.

"3", they all heaved against the thick glass door, splashing the water to keep their footing. JJ's heals slipped on a page of newspaper that had been floating around and she flopped into the brown water.

"Urgh. DAMN IT!" She growled. Morgan laughed when she stood up looking like a sodden rat, her clothes clinging to her. JJ smacked his good shoulder hard and spat out the water she'd managed to get in her mouth.

"It's not funny!" She hissed.

"Maybe a little", whispered Emily behind her hand which had been surpressing giggles. JJ grumbled, but soon resumed her post and they began pushing again.

They continued this strategy for 10 minutes straight and when Rossi found himself sat with water up to his waist, he threw his fist into the glass. He reeled back, filling the ground floor with curses.

"That's it! This is hopeless!" Rossi concluded angrily, stroking his red knuckles.

"We could try and smash it", Morgan suggested.

"Bullet proof", Hotch said tapping the glass and smirking at Rossi's bruised knuckles. "Nothing's getting through this."

"Well, I know that now", Rossi muttered bitterly.

"What now?" JJ groaned.

"We should get the power back on", reported Hotch.

"How?" Emily frowned.

"There's a generator."

"Where?" Queried Rossi, ringing out his sleeves.

"The generator is down a floor", Hotch rubbed his neck anxiously, but Rossi only nodded. He stripped off his jacket and sat on a flooded step to remove his shoes and socks.

"Rossi...you're not thinking of..." JJ whispered and Rossi stood back up shaking himself mentally.

"The water level shouldn't be too high", he replied.

"I'll come", Hotch insisted, taking a step towards the stairs.

"No. I can do it." Hotch was about to argue when a loud crash boomed across the room. JJ jumped when she saw bricks falling through the floor.

"Shit", hissed Morgan when a grumble rocked the building.

"It's unstable", Rossi mumbled. Another crash echoed, this time it was more distant. The building shook once more and a scream rang out.

* * *

"They've been like 10 minutes!" Whined Garcia.

"You're impatient", Reid pointed out, a smile over his chapped lips, his eyes tired and drooping.

"I have every right to be! Reid...what-what's the probability of people who get trapped in an FBI building during a storm, with it falling apart around them, that they...live", Garcia asked nervously and Reid hicupped out a laugh.

"Unsurprisingly, there are no s-st-statistics on that, b-but I can make some up...t-to make you feel better", Garcia grinned.

"Thanks...I'll pass...", she looked longingly at the corridor her team had left in.

"You wanna go check on them, don't you?" Reid questioned, his head lolling slightly.

"No. I can't leave you, Spence", Garcia gasped, though she knew he had profiled her perfectly.

"I'll be fine. They'll probably tell you to come back up here anyway. Just go make sure they're okay. I'm not going anywhere", Garcia bit her lip and looked him over. He didn't look very good...at all. His head was sweaty, his hair sticking profusely to it. The bandage on his side was already beginning to leak with blood. His leg was the same, but he still managed to smile sweetly at her.

"I really shoul-"

"Go", Reid chuckled. Garcia hesitated, but finally decided to get up.

"I'll be back in 5, tops", she promised, hurrying away and sending him quick looks as she went. He waved her away and laughed when she stopped watching him and dashed around the corner.

He dropped the smile and dragged in a deep arduous breath. He closed his eyes and looked down at his wrists. He blinked twice to disperse the blurriness. His cold fingers brushed against his wrist and his breath hitched when the chill licked over his forearm. He pinched the skin on his wrist and watched as the veins became pale and remained that way.

"Shock", he whimpered as his trembling grew more violent.

A sudden boom echoed through the building and Spencer's eyes snapped open. He listened intently.

"Garcia", he rasped, his shakes turning almost to convulsions.

He felt the floor tremble with him and another boom rattled his very bones. A shriek reached his ears and Reid's breath caught in the back of his throat.

"GARCIA!"

* * *

 **Phew! I'm beat! So sorry for the wait, I have no clue when the next chapter is coming, so bare with us.**

 **FYI if you're reading 'All Hallows' Eve', the next chapter should be up by tomorrow, I promise.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this.**

 **Please review!**

 **See you in the next update.**


	5. Survival of the Fittest -5- Dextolan

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.)**

 **Sadly I haven't been able to get into contact with the other author: Sarry22. She asked me to do the last chapter for her and because it's been a while I'm also going to do this chapter, just so that you guys aren't left hanging.**

 **Also, I realised that I have left all 3 of my ongoing stories on a bit of a cliff hanger and I'm excited to continue them all.**

 **I hope Sarry22 will get back to me soon, because I'd really like her to do a chapter because I feel like I'm taking over a bit.**

 **If you read this Sarry22, I'm sorry I just really wanted to update, I promise the next chapter is yours.**

 **Please review!**

 **Previously:** _He felt the floor tremble with him and another boom rattled his very bones. A shriek reached his ears and Reid's breath caught in the back of his throat._

 _"GARCIA!"_

* * *

Garcia made it to the staircase when the building suddenly rocked. She grabbed hold of the railing to steady herself, glancing back at the door to make sure it was still there. She held the railing tightly as she tiptoed down the first flight of steps. The building shook again and she felt the floor tremble.

She hurried on getting down 5 flights when the steps beneath her caved in and crumbled, taking her with them.

"AHHHH!" She screeched as she felt air whoosh through her hair. Three flights of stairs disappeared, as did Garcia.

* * *

"That was Garcia! I know it! BABY GIRL!" Morgan bellowed, sloshing through the water to the staircase entrance, where dust was drifting spun and the door was filled halfway with rumble of what used to be steps.

"PEN! WHERE ARE YOU!?" He cried desperately, throwing bricks out of the way with his bare hands, ignoring the flaring agony in his shoulder.

"I gotta get in there", he said, stripping his jacket roughly from his body, which strongly disagreed with his throbbing shoulder.

"You can't. It's too dangerous. Whatever's left of the staircase is completely unstable, it'll fall in on you", Rossi explained, but Morgan wasn't listening, he was climbing over the fallen staircase, calling out to Garcia.

"That, Rossi...is exactly why I need to get in here... if I don't she'll be buried...", He called back, squirming over the wreckage on his stomach.

Hotch grunted something unintelligible and followed Morgan into what used to be the stairwell.

Morgan was already digging through the wood, concrete and plaster, his fingernails filing with dust and his fingers becoming bloody and wretched. Hotch glanced up and saw the 4th flight still intact, the railing hanging dangerously off the wall and the steps halting abruptly. He swallowed thickly and began burrowing through the spoilage, like a gopher in a garden.

"We don't even know she's under there", muttered Emily, taking to chewing her fingernails anxiously.

"She's here. I know it. GARCIA! COME ON BABY GIRL! TALK TO ME!" Morgan screamed into the offscourings. His digging became more frantic, ripping huge chunks of floor from the rubble and reaching his arms in, unfazed by the lacerations his arms were withstanding.

Hotch managed to scramble out of the way before a slab of concrete smashed into the place he had been stood.

"We need to hurry", he warned, attacking the wreckage with a determined fervour.

"Come on Mama! Where are you?" Morgan whimpered desperately.

"I think I've got something",Morgan lept from his position to Hotch, pulling away the broken concrete from the area his unit chief had pointed out. He caught sight of Garcia's colourful dress and his breath hitched.

"We're gonna get you out, Baby Girl", he promised, taking great armfuls of detritus and slinging it behind him. A grumble sounded from above and several small pieces of concrete cascaded down. One caught Hotch's back and he growled in pain, rubbing the area and delving deeper with one arm.

"Hurry up! We can hear it out here and it doesn't sound good", Hissed Rossi, poking his head through and looking up at the unstable staircase nervously.

"We've almost got her. Come in and we can get out sooner." Rossi struggled into the stairwell and added his unscathed hands to Hotch and Morgan's bloody ones.

Morgan painfully stuck his hands into the rubble, gently grasping Garcia's legs and arms, waiting for Hotch and Rossi to get rid of the debris still littering her all too quiet form.

"Why's she not responding?" Morgan begged, brushing hair from her unconscious face with difficulty.

"We can't do anything here Morgan...we need to-", Hotch was interrupted by a deep, angry groan from above.

"GO!" Rossi shouted, stepping aside from the opening so Hotch (holding Garcia's arms) and Morgan (who held her legs) could get through first. The men didn't hesitate.

"Quick!" Squeaked JJ, her countenance filled with terror.

Hotch slipped out, pulling Garcia and in turn Morgan; even when he fell backwards he continued to pull, a sweat breaking across his forehead. Morgan fell through gasping.

"ROSSI GET OUT!" Hotch shouted breathlessly. The Italian had the top half of his body through the slim gap between the doorframe and the mountain of broken staircase, when a loud crash echoed through the building.

"CHRIST!" Rossi boomed, stumbling out and collapsing onto his front in the water.

They all sat there panting when Rossi broke into laughter.

"I'm too old for this", he laughed, turning onto his back and holding his leg.

"We didn't sign up for this either", grumbled JJ.

"Did you hurt your leg?" Emily asked, pointing to Rossi's leg, his face screwed up in pain.

"I got caught. It's not bad though", he grimaced, revealing the laceration down his leg. Deep, but not serious.

"Baby girl...speak to me please", Morgan pleaded in Garcia's ear.

Penelope was sprawled half on the debris, half in the water. Her face was scathed, and a bruise was blossoming over her grazed cheek. The cut on her head had reopened and was flowing freely down the side of her face. Her arms were just as scratched as Morgan's and her legs were red raw, with painful grazes that had grated off her skin like soft cheese.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Morgan's bottom lip trembled, his watery eyes meeting Hotch's.

"Is she hurt?" Muttered JJ, shuffling through the tide of murky water and taking Penelope's hand.

"I-I don't know."

"I can't see anything serious... but it may be internal", added Rossi, looking up from the hole in his pants where blood was seeping out.

"M-m-mor...", everyone's head turned to Garcia, who's eyes were fluttering open.

"Pen! Are you alright?" He cried, holding her tenderly.

"M-m...H-Hot Choc-l-late", a small smile spread over Garcia's face and she tried to sit up.

"Easy, Mama. Are you hurt?"

"I-I...no...just s-scra-scratched up a-a bit. And m-my back kills", she rasped, pushing Morgan's hand away and sitting up, hissing as her sore skin brushed against the broken floor she sat on.

"What were you doing up there?" Emily frowned and Garcia's face morphed into one of guilt and fear.

"I-I...oh god", she rasped, putting a hand over her mouth. "I was coming to check on you...I left Reid!"

The team suddenly realised that their genius was still upstairs.

"You left him?" Hotch said, his eyes dark...angry.

"I w-would never of...I-I...", she hiccupped, trying to hold back the tears.

"Reid's up there alone!" Hotch growled. He blinked, taking a deep breath to control his anger. _This isn't her fault._ But the niggling rage was wound so tightly that he felt his teeth squeak against each other as he gritted them.

"We need to get to him", JJ concluded.

"How?"

Their thoughts were interrupted when a clash of thunder made itself known.

"REID!" Morgan exclaimed without warning, making Garcia wince. They listened, but could only hear the fierce wind, insatiable rain and the occasional clap of lightening or thunder.

"He won't be able to hear us", Rossi grunted pessimistically.

"H-he's a genius...he'll find a way", whispered Garcia, finally feeling the cold water lapping at her toes.

"He's lost so much blood already. _We_ need to find a way, not him."

"Hotch I...", Garcia started, but hid her face in shame.

"He was going into shock. I'm sure of it. Now he's alone."

"Look, we need to stop talking like this. We need to be finding a way to get to him", JJ implored. "Hotch, you need to calm down. This isn't Garcia's fault. We all left. She did the same as us. And no-one could have foreseen this."

"He's probably figuring a way to get down here as we speak", Emily added brightly.

Hotch nodded, feeling his anger defuse. "Reid's strong. But we still need to get to him. If he's trying to get down here he's going to put himself in a worse condition."

"We can move some things and try to climb up through that gap", she pointed to where the first floor had fallen in. "Whoever stays here can try and get that door open. We can get Reid back, I'm sure of-" JJ was trying to keep the peace, but Morgan stormed into the water, his fists tight at his sides.

"If he's gone into shock it's too late. We all left him alone to die." He snarled, kicking something beneath the water that sent virbrations through his ankle. "He's probably already d-", Morgan was interrupted by a slap. JJ stepped back from him, her eyes lit with a fierce anger.

"Don't say that!" She snapped. "Don't you _ever_ say that." She grabbed Emily's arm and marched to the corner where the floor above had fallen through partly.

"Where are you going?" Hotch's voice was tense. Morgan was still reeling from his slap, reality finally sinking in.

"We're going to get, Spence. I refuse to leave him on the assumption that he's already dead. He wouldn't give up on us." Morgan took his head in his hands guiltily.

"Wait up", he followed the girls. "I don't think that...I just...", he shook his head. "Let's go get him."

* * *

"Guys?..." Spencer whimpered into the darkness. He glanced down at the cellphone Morgan had left for him. The battery was getting lower and lower.

"Guys?" He felt his lips tremble. Normally he was used to being alone, but at that moment he needed his family; it didn't matter who.

"GARCIA!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. His breath started to get rapid with panic. _What if she's...dead. What if they're all..._ he shook his head vigourously. _No...no..._

The floor creaked beneath him and his shivering increased tenfold.

"Get up..", he hissed to himself. He held his breath and lifted his body with his arms, only to collapse onto his back in agony. He glanced down and saw the bandage on his side was soaking further with blood.

"Guys!"

The floor groaned yet again. He slumped back against the desk and felt tears prickle his eyes.

"Help." He whimpered.

A chill passed through his body and his limbs became claimed by numbness. He felt his eyelids grow heavy and his panic bubble up within his still exterior.

His mind felt fuzzy and his eyes skimmed the copious amount of blood around him.

 _Shock,_ the word floated through his mind.

He began rasping and unknowingly he lent further into the desk, relying on it as his main support.

The torch on Morgan's phone flashed..

Once...

Twice...

Three times before going out.

Reid was devoured in darkness.

* * *

 **I didn't want to do too much because it's supposed to be the other authors turn. So before anyone says anything about it being short, just keep that in mind. Also it took a lot to write this today considering I was working, writing another chapter and doing some homework.**

 **I hope that was alright. Thanks for reading.**

 **Please review. I hope that you won't hear from me until the chapter after the next one.**

 **Okay, see ya!**


	6. Keep Going- 6- Sarry22

**(Disclaimer: we do not own Criminal Minds or it's characters.)**

 **This is Sarry22's chapter, please review and show her your appreciation.**

 **Thanks to all the reviewers, I don't think I've appreciated you all, so thanks to ILR, bigtimedreamer101, annoyingtourist, Alicia-fuzzyboots, Hippiechic81, Tennerrose5, Maggie and CM-Reider! Keep reviewing and we'll keep updating!**

 **Okay, enjoy!**

* * *

"You are going nowhere, Morgan. You stay with the others. J.J and I will get up there and get Reid." Hotch said in a demanding voice.

"Hotch no way man. I am going with you to get my baby brother!" Morgan insisted, stepping tantalizing closer to Hotch.

"Morgan we can't risk you injuring your shoulder even more than it is already and Rossi, Emily and Garcia are hurt too and they need your help, Morgan." Emily mumbled a small "I'm fine", but Hitch ignored her. "J.J and I will get Reid back. Trust me. That's a promise and you know I always keep my promises." Hotch said seriously.

Morgan slowly understood and nodded. He looked up into Hotch's eyes and he pulled him and J.J in a quick hug. "Please take care of yourselves and bring our genius back safely," Morgan whispered worriedly, looking from his one friend to the other.

"We will and you too take care of yourself," Hotch ordered, looking around at everyone. He received a nod from everyone. With that Hotch and J.J made their way to the gap in the ceiling preparing to climb up the rubble to the unstable floor above.

* * *

Reid slowly opened his eyes and thought he was dreaming. Everything was still pitch black even though his eyes were open. His mind needed a few seconds to catch up with the events of the evening. The power went out. The others left to get out. Garcia left to look for them. Her scream echoed in his head. There was more, but his mind felt fuzzy and he couldn't reach the more recent memories. He had to do something. Reid looked down and saw that the bandage was completely red now. _Not good,_ he thought. He felt pathetically weak and a word which he couldn't quite put his finger on was floating around his mind. _S-sh...or was it a 'c'...or an 'h'?_

As Reid looked around he saw the first aid kit. Slowly he leaned over to it and pulled it close to him. Thankfully he found some sore pads, plasters, and bandages in it. Reid winced as he put everything he could find haphazardly on his blood-soaked bandage. He had to get to the others. Maybe they were all hurt and needed help or maybe they were alre-. He didn't dare to even think that for a split second. Maybe they already found a way out.

After Reid wrapped everything up, he picked up Morgan's phone only to find the power was nearly completely drained. Reid knew he had to save power on the phone and had to search for another flashlight. _My desk_! He remembered he left one in the bottom drawer of his desk. Reid took a deep breath as he got on his hands and knees and slowly crawled over to his desk. Each move hurt like hell but Reid ignored it as best as possible.

After what felt like an hour but was in reality only a minute or two he made it to his desk and searched for his flashlight and thank god it was there. He turned the flashlight on and turned ithe light off on Morgans phone to conserve power. Reid looked up and knew he had to get to the staircase, or at least what was left of it.

It took all the power Reid had to get up and after a few attempts, he stood on his shaky legs. He moved from desk to desk, from object to object, with small breaks to keep himself from collapsing. Reid knew he should have stayed put and not moved an inch to prevent him from further injuries, but he had to find his team. He wouldn't let them down and neither would they.

"Okay J.J I will lift you up now, okay?" Hotch said as both of them looked up to see where they were going. She gave him a nod as he slowly lifted her up so she could get a hold of something solid.

"Okay I got a hold of something. I need to go a bit higher if that's possible," J.J grubted as she began to pull herself up. Hotch lifted her as high as possible until she finally was able to pull herself fully up.

"Come on now it's your turn Hotch. We will help you." Rossi said behind him, with Emily standing next to him.

With both of their help and J.J's help from above, Hotch was up within a minute.

"Take care you two and bring the kid back safe," Rossi said anxiously.

"We will, don't worry. I'll see you later." Hotch promised as he and J.J made their way into the black floor. They'd never been on this floor and apart from the fact it lacked a conference room, it could have been a twin of their floor.

"Do you think Spence is okay?" J.J asked as they both climbed over the rubble as careful as possible and took a gander around the floor.

"Reid is strong. He will be fine. He has to be." Hotch was convincing himself more than J.J. as he looked over to her.

Hotch gingerly stepped over the floor, cringing at how loose it was. Suddenly, a cracking sound filled the room. Both stopped dead in their tracks and turned around as behind them the floor started to crash down.

"RUN!" Hotch yelled and automatically grabbed her hand as they ran across the floor as fast as possible

* * *

Reid leaned against the iron frame of the fire exit staircase as he opened the door with the other hand. _So far so good,_ he thought as he finally stood in the staircase. He limped over to the railing and flashed the light down and what he saw made his blood froze.

He could see water on the ground floor and where the staircase of the first floor was supposed to be, was now only a big hole and pieces of it crashing down into the water now and then.

Reid just hoped his family was safe. He shook his head as an image of his friends crushed under the fragments of their office, their home. He shook his head, shoving the image away.

In that moment Reid knew the only chance he had was to go up to the roof and get help. He truly believed his friends were unharmed and fine, he had to, and the thought motivated him to continue.

Reid turned around and limped towards the up leading stairs: He looked up and groaned. He was on the 6th floor. The building had 10 floors. So it would be a painful 4 floors to go up, but he had to do it for his family.

His whole body protested as he made the first step up the stairs. _This isn't going to be fun,_ Reid thought as his whole body burned like it was on fire.

Every few steps Reid needed to take a break as his body protested. He was on the 8th floor when all of a sudden he heard a loud noise and then a scream. J.J! Reid looked over the railing and saw that another staircase was now gone. "J.J!" He tried to scream but a strong pain shot through his body as he did and he collapsed next to the railing still in a lot of pain.

Reid felt that breathing was getting a bit harder for him. _Definitely not a good sign_. Reid laid there panting heavily. Now and then the memory of Garcia's scream rang in his head. He had to save them. Reid breathed through the heavy pain and pulled himself up with all his power.

After about 5 attempts Reid finally stood on his feet but most of his weight leaned against the railing. He again motivated himself with the thought of his family.

2 more floors to go he thought as he made his way up slowly.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Hotch asked J.J as they both panted from literally speeding across the unstable ground, and up through another hole in the floor. J.J slowly nodded. They were now on the second floor. The stairs had fallen apart from the 3rd floor, so as soon as they got there they could use the stairs again.

"Yeah, you?" J.J asked in concern.

"I am fine." He said as he caught his breath.

"On what floor are we?" J.J asked as she looked around.

"That's the second floor so only 4 more floors to go," Hotch said a little sarcastically as he turned toward J.J. She gave him a small reassuring smile and he returned it.

"Guys are you okay?" They heard Morgan's voice from afar.

"Don't worry we're fine," J.J yelled down.

"Come on let's go get our Genius," Hotch said as they scoured the floor for a way to get above.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay, lots of stuff to do, you know how it is. That was Sarry22's chapter, please review and give her some much-needed support!**

 **Thanks for reading, and I'll be back with the next chapter as soon as possible.**

 **Until then, TTFN.**


	7. Invisible- 7- Dextolan

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds of it's characters.)**

 **Thank you guys for all of your reviews, they mean so much to us. I'm sorry these chapters are short , but it is getting super difficult to write 2,000 words, what with college work being just as demanding, if not more! This chapter should be longer.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

"JJ! I found some loose flooring. If we can find something to hit the ceiling with we might be able to get up through it", Hotch called out to the blonde, who held her phone up to the spot where Hotch stood.

"If we can get up there we should be able to use the staircase", JJ muttered, glancing around for something to use. Her eyes caught a steel rod that lay near the elevator. She wiped her sweaty hands on her pants before lifting the cool, slightly jagged metal.

"Pass That here", Hotch held his hand out to take the rod as he stood up on the desk. JJ struggled to lift it, having to grapple it with both arms. She passed it up to Hotch who somehow managed to lift it with ease. He secured his hold on the rod and thrust it up into the ceiling. A bit of plaster fell down at first and they both had to turn away; their hands over their mouths to avoid inhaling. Once the dust has cleared he gave the ceiling another jab; a huge chunk cracking and falling onto the desk.

"Watch out", He warned, giving JJ a few seconds to prepare before ramming the rod into the ceiling as hard as he could. The already loose and cracked flooring crumbled and Hotch hopped out of the way before it crushed him.

"Come on", JJ said grabbing his hand and climbing onto the desk. Hotch gave her a lift up making sure she was safely deposited on the floor above. Luckily the ceiling wasn't too high on the lower floors and after two attempted jumps he finally got a good grip and with JJ's help, he pulled himself onto the floor above, rolling away from the unstable ground and laying on his stomach.

"Staircase?"

"Staircase", Hotch agreed, jumping to his feet.

JJ led the way to the fire-exit staircase; she pushed the door open and gasped. Hotch watched her wobble and quickly grasped the back of her blouse to stop her toppling over.

"Thanks", she mumbled, taking a step back. Hotch frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Uh...well maybe you should take a look", she held the door open for him and he lent over her arm and felt himself reel back.

Where the staircase would've been was only empty space. The bottom of the stairwell contained the remnants of several staircases. The railing was still intact, but the staircase that went with it had disappeared. JJ eyed where they needed to get to. Half of the set of stairs that was meant to be in front of them had fallen away. The other half was only 2 meters away, but with the 4-floor drop, the odds of making the jump were not worth risking.

"Hotch?"

"This is the only way up", he mused, glancing back into the 4th floor. The ceiling was still intact.

"But...How-"

"We'll have to use the railing."

"What, Like walk on it?" JJ asked incredulously.

"Yes." JJ just stared at him as if he was mad.

"How are we going to get Reid out? He won't be able to climb down that railing?"

"We will think about that when we know he's okay", Hotch deadpanned. JJ opened her mouth, but hesitated.

"You don't think Spence will be coming back with us, do you?" She asked. Hotch finally met her eyes and sighed. "We can't give up hope like that! He's fine! I know he is."

"I hope you're right. Either way, he needs someone there with him." JJ gawped from the stairs to Hotch. She closed her mouth and nodded.

* * *

JJ watched in terror as Hotch stood gingerly on the rail she had just walked over. It bent a little under his weight but held. He placed his hands against the wall and got his balance before taking his other foot off the safe ground of the fourth floor.

"Hurry", JJ whimpered. Hotch started shuffling dangerously along the railing. He wobbled at the halfway point and JJ yelped out, covering her eyes. He managed to steady himself, inching a little more. He turned to JJ, gritting his teeth before he took a leap toward her. He landed half on the rickety platform and half off and JJ scrambled to her feet to pull him up the rest of the way. Once safe, she pulled him into an embrace, sighing with relief.

"Come on", he said in a shaky voice. They looked up at the flights above them that led to the floor where they'd left Reid.

* * *

"Spence?" JJ called into the darkness, flicking her phone over the empty desks.

"We left him beside his desk...or was it Morgan's?" Hotch scowled, aiming his phone torch around where his agent's sat every day.

"Reid?" He murmured, stopping his pacing when he caught sight of a patch of blood; a lot of blood, but no Reid.

"Oh god!" JJ smacked her hand over her mouth, almost dropping her phone to the floor. "Where is he?"

"He might have moved around. I'll look around here, you cover over there", Hotch ordered, taking charge of the situation.

He turned away from JJ and slowly panned his torch around. He could hear JJ calling "Spence" behind him. Everything was still and quiet and after checking every inch Hotch turned back to JJ

"Anything?"

JJ looked up from where she was kneeling, her countenance grim.

"You might want to take a look at this." Hotch watched her kneel on the ground, her body tense. He cautiously made his way over, forcing his eyes to avoid the patch of blood where Spencer had been sat.

"What is it?" He came up behind JJ and shone his torch on her. He scowled at the blood stains over the carpet, trailing to the staircase. "How did we miss this?" He whispered.

"We weren't exactly focused on the carpet. This means that he's alive", JJ mumbled hopefully, a small smile gracing her lips.

"He was in a bad way, though. He can only be worsening his injuries."

"But he was alone. I probably wouldn't have stayed put if no one had come back up. Would you?" JJ questioned him, trying to defend Spencer's action.

"It doesn't matter what I would do. And this doesn't prove he's safe. He's still missing."

"SPENCE!" JJ shouted without warning, causing Hotch to take a step back and cover his ears. They waited, remaining highly vigilant; listening out for any sign of Reid. No response came.

"We should see where this leads," JJ nodded slowly still darting her torch back and forth, hoping against hope Spencer was still there.

"JJ", she finally turned, giving Hotch her fullest attention. "We may not like what we find at the end of this trail,"He swallowed nervously before continuing. "We can't lose ourselves, okay. Even if he's-"

"He's alive, Hotch"

"But if he isn't, we can't give up on ourselves, or the others."

* * *

 _It's one flight of stairs, Reid,_ he thought as he gazed up the last flight from his hunched position. _You're not weak,_ he told his exhausted and battered body. "I'm not weak", he agreed, using the railing to heave himself up. He grimaced as he looked back down the stairs at the droplets of blood and marks where he had to drag himself. _Only one to go._

He held onto the railing with white knuckles, trying to ease the world spinning around him. That word kept floating around his head again, this time he knew what it was, _shock._ He knew all the statistics and facts on shock, and he understood that his time was slipping away, while that word hung over him menacingly.

He attempted the first step; lifting his good leg up onto the said step. His injured leg protested against this movement and buckled. Spencer grabbed onto the railing, but his vision blackened and he felt his body slam hard onto the floor. He blinked away the blackness and rasped painfully, his ribs sore. He pressed his hand against the wound on his side that had once again started bleeding profusely.

 _You can do it,_ he said internally to himself, _you can do this._ He gritted his teeth and reached up for the railing, his fingers wrapped around the rail tightly and attempted to lift himself off the floor. Shoots of pain rocketed through him as he stretched and once more he collapsed onto the floor, whimpering in agony.

 _I could call to them,_ he thought back to his team. They had to still be alive, he just knew. He looked through the small gap through the staircase and saw the rubble at the bottom. _If they are okay, there's no way they could get up here. But...but they'd try._ Spencer closed his eyes against the pain. He couldn't call to them, they'd attempt to help him and he knew the probability of them making it up there alive. He needed to do this alone.

Reid looked back up at the stairs with determination burning in his eyes. He took a deep shuddery breath, ignoring the pain it elicited. He put his back to the step, gripping it with his hands and lifting himself onto it. His arms cried out as the muscles worked alone to move his entire body. He gripped the next step and did the same, the wound in his side tore open further as he shifted his body. His leg thumped in pain as he struggled not to catch it on the steps. _2 steps down, 5 to go._

* * *

"Do you think they've found him?" Garcia whispered. No one answered at first; they listened to the rain patter behind the blocked windows and the quiet drips around them.

"I don't know...", sighed Emily. She pulled her foot out of the water, realising how numb her toes had suddenly become. Morgan stood up in frustration and started pacing.

"You're making me anxious", moaned Emily. Morgan hesitated, glancing up at the floor above. After they'd helped Hotch and JJ up, the floor had fallen in slightly and they'd taken refuge in the corner, listening to the groans of the unstable building above them.

"I can't wait here much longer."

"What do you propose we do? We can't break the glass or move the blockage", Rossi croaked, skimming a piece of brick into the water.

"We follow them", this sparked their attention. They gaped at Morgan.

"The building is practically collapsing!"

"And we are probably in the most dangerous place, we're gonna end up getting crushed. Plus, if we get to the roof we could signal for help", Morgan argued and Rossi paused in his retort, mulling over what the younger agent had suggested.

"But you're injured and so's Em, and my head is killing", Garcia whispered.

"I'm fine and we can help each other. Come on, Baby Girl, if we don't start moving up we're going to die", Garcia gulped audibly at this. She looked above her and then back at Morgan. Emily stood up and nodded.

"Give me a boost", she ordered, climbing up the rubble Hotch and JJ had used to get up.

"Watch that leg", Garcia warned as Morgan held his hands out for Emily to climb onto. He heaved her up and motioned for Garcia to come next.

"Hey, Prentiss, make sure the floor doesn't collapse", Rossi called.

"Not sure I can stop it, so hurry up, old man!"

"The cheek", Rossi gasped, accepting Morgan's help and heaving himself onto the floor above. Morgan made a leap and caught Rossi's hand. The three agents pulled Morgan to safety. Emily spied where JJ and Hotch had climbed to the next floor, she then looked at the floor that had caved in and swallowed thickly.

"Derek...", Garcia whimpered as the floor shook.

"We got this, Baby Girl."

* * *

Reid collapsed onto his back panting heavily, sweat dripping from his brow and sliding down his face. He closed his eyes as his vision threatened to collapse in on him. He spent at least 5 minutes trying to steady his rasping, his side screamed out with each breath. He peeked through his heavy eyelids, blinking away the blurriness before he finally saw the door he'd been dragging himself towards.

Spencer gripped the torch, inhaled sharply and sat up, yelping as he pulled on his open wounds. He slumped against the wall and with all the strength he could muster he reached up for the door handle. He used it to get himself halfway to his feet. The door opened under his weight and Reid found himself falling as the door swung open with his hands still attached. He managed to roll onto his side, avoiding landing on his leg.

The horizon was slowly filling with a peachy-orange hue, signaling that day was coming. Spencer's vision doubled dangerously and he had to take deep gulps of fresh air to calm himself.

* * *

"Morgan! Derek! Wait up!" Emily yelled, dragging herself through the hole in the floor. She lent back down and helped pull Garcia up with Rossi. Morgan was searching the floor.

"What floor is this?" Garcia mumbled in bewilderment.

"The third", Rossi panted. He lent his head against the cool wall plaster and worked on calming his thumping heart.

"Why did we split up?" Garcia whimpered, wishing they were all back on the sixth floor. At least they'd been together then.

"We'll find them, but we need to keep moving", Morgan insisted. Rossi groaned, lifting his tired head from the wall.

"One more minute", he pleaded.

"No. Our team needs us."

* * *

Spencer sat on the roof, trying to keep his eyes open. He realised shock was setting in, slowly, but surely. He had to create some kind of signal before he was lost to unconsciousness...or worse.

He flicked his torch onto the brightest setting and groggily attempted morse code in the sky. His eyelids began to shut again and he knew his signal was not reaching anyone. He lolled his head around the roof, looking for something to help him. His eyes caught the dark solar panels. He frowned a little, twisting his body around to face the panels. He lifted the torch them and as the torch's glare hit part of the panel, a beam of light reflected off it and off into the sky. His breath caught in his throat with delight. He positioned the torch so that it could shine onto the panel. Slowly, he removed his cardigan, wincing when he felt it stick to the blood seeping through his bandage. He placed the cardigan beneath the torch so that it remained in place. He sighed, letting his eyes droop.

 _No,_ he thought, shaking himself awake. _You know Shock better than anyone,_ he scolded, staggering to his feet and muttering the protocol to follow when someone goes into shock. He paced around the roof, limping horrendously. He no longer noticed the pain, he felt so numb.

He didn't realise he'd closed his eyes. He vaguely remembered a feeling of falling, but he was too exhausted to care.

* * *

"Hotch! Where is he!? Hotch, he has to be here!" JJ sobbed, forgetting what Hotch had said about keeping herself under control.

"He should...REID! I-I don't know where he could be...", Hotch scowled, also forgetting his own advice.

"We can't leave him, Hotch. W-we have to find him", cried JJ, scanning the roof.

"SPENCE! oh, please.." Hotch sprinted across the roof, seeing light at one end. he knelt down beside a torch and found Reid's bloody cardigan underneath it. _This isn't good._

"Where are you, Reid?" he muttered.

"We have to search for him, Hotch! H-He can't have just d-disappeare-", JJ was interrupted by the distant roar of wings pounding against the air. She and Hotch turned their heads to see a helicopter looming in the distance, it's wings beating against the brightening sky. "Hotch..."

"OVER HERE!" he bellowed, waving his arms frantically. JJ stared open-mouthed at the aircraft. "Come on!" Hotch shouted, coaxing the blonde to join in.

"HELP! PLEASE! Oh please see us!"

* * *

 **Wow, today has been so hectic! I'm still planning on updating a story on top of this! What have I let myself in for? Think positive!**

 **I tried my hardest to try and make this chapter long, I hope it's alright.**

 **Please review, we'd love to hear what you think of this story and we appreciate all of your reviews.**

 **Thank you for reading, and good luck to Sarry22 who will be taking on the next chapter.**

 **P.S. you may be wondering what happened to Reid. That was done on purpose, you'll just have to wait and see...**


	8. Rescue?- 8- Sarry22

**(Disclaimer: we do not own Criminal Minds or it's characters)**

 **Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! We don't mean to delay...but what with my college and Sarry's work it gets difficult.**

 **In case you didn't know, this is written by me and Sarry22, this is her chapter so please give her some encouragement.**

 **I'll try and write the next chapter as soon as I can, I've already started...it'll be out either Saturday or Sunday, it depends on how tired I am after work on Saturday.**

 **Please review.**

 **Anyway, heres the chapter...again sorry for the delay.**

* * *

"Where did the caller say he saw the SOS sign?" Jason half yelled over to his colleague Adam.

"The FBI Headquarters; on the roof." Adam said with concern in his voice as he looked in the faces of his friends around him and saw the same concern.

"Guys, I know this is hard for all of us. We all have friends in there and we dont even know if they're inside the building...I pray to god that whoever is in there is still alive," Jason said with calm voice, making sure the rest or his team didn't freak out on him.

"Who other than Hotch's team would stay in that late?" Lance muttered with a furrowed brow. Typically they would have laughed at his hint of a joke, but they all remained stony-faced.

"Guys, we land in a minute. Look over there. Guess Lance was right. Hotch and J.J are on the roof."

* * *

"Oh my god, Hotch! The helicopter is flying in our direction I think they saw us!" J.J cried, a smile on her face as the helicopter came closer. Finally hope was rising in her and she knew that they would get out of this horror of a situation.

Hotch covered J.J as the helicopter landed on the huge building only a few meters away from them. As soon as the propeller stopped 4 people jumped out of the huge helicopter while the pilot seemed to stay in, talking on his radio.

"Hotch! J.J!" Lance called as they ran over to them.

"Lance, Adam, Jason, Steven? It is so good to see you guys." J.J breathed with pure relief in her voice.

"We also have Chris with us just talking to the boss. What happened? Great idea with the SOS Signal" Steven pointed out to them.

Hotch and J.J looked at each other puzzled.

"What SOS Signal?" Hotch asked in bewilderment.

"We got a call from a guy who said he saw a SOS sign from this roof and that we should check it out. That's why we are here and we found you." Jason explained to them. Meanwhile Chris joined the little group and was listening closely too.

"Oh my god! Reid! He did this!" J.J yelled as reality hit her.

"Okay guys we need to focus. Emily, Rossi, Morgan and Garcia are trapped on the ground floor and can't get out. Most of the staircases broke down and the whole building is breaking here and there. Reid is severely hurt and currently missing. Since he sent that SOS signal he has to be here somewhere." Hotch explained as fast as possible to not lose more previous time. A statistic Reid had once told him ran through his head; a statistic on how long it took for someone bleed out, and how it often depended on the victim. He used himself as an example.

 _"Take me, for example. Considering my weight, height and health, it would take around 42 minutes to bleed out from-"_

"Oh my god. Okay. So Chris, Adam and JJ you look for Reid up here and if you find him make contact with us. Lance, Steven and Hotch you come with me and we get the others out of there as fast as possible." Jason said stern and everyone nodded. They got their rescue bags and started their mission.

* * *

"Only 2 more floors to go!" Morgan announced happily as they pulled Rossi up through the gap in the floor.

"Thank god; I am getting to old for these kinds of adventures." Rossi huffed, a little out of breath and the others chuckled.

Garcia walked over to the door of the staircase and was happy to finally reach a normal staircase. She opened the door but lost her balance as she wanted to step forward. A scream left her mouth, but she didn't feel the sensation of falling; strong arms wrapped around her. The person pulled her back and the door closed with a thud.

Garcia turned around in the arms and she looked up and saw that Derek Morgans strong protective hands were wrapped around her. He smiled down at her and pulled her close so her face was pressed against his strong chest.

"I got you, Baby girl." He whispered as he softly kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks for saving me." She let out in a sob as tears ran down her face.

"I will always protect you, Baby girl, no matter what, so there's no need to thank me." He said as he wiped away the tears on her face.

Rossi and Emily had one hand on her back as they all tried to calm her down.

"Okay lets move on. We have to get up there somehow," she mumbled as she wiped her face one more time and walked closer to the door again.

"But the question is how do we get up there?" Rossi asked the question out loud that everyone had on their mind.

Emily opened the door and they looked over their predicament.

"How did J.J and Hotch got up there?" She asked as she turned back to them.

"They walked over the railing." Morgan said as he saw the dirty foot prints on the railing.

"Oh no way in hell I am doing this. Forget it." Garcia rambled, shaking her head furiously and stepping further back.

* * *

"So now tell us what exactly happened." Jason asked as they made their way downstairs.

"We were about to leave the office and then a lightning bolt must have hit something meta-it must have been the elevator, we had all been near it. Reid was the closest and he was hurt in the first impact. It turned off the whole power and part of the ceiling and floor broke down. The rumble fell down on Reid and some of us, though we weren't badly hurt. We then rushed to the bullpen an-and found that there was a piece of metal sticking out of Spencer and we had to remove it and wrap it up. Then Emily and I went downstairs to see if we could get out somehow, but we needed help and so we got the others. Garcia stayed with Reid. But when we didn't returned Reid told her to look for us and then the floor broke in and Reid must have made his way up. There was blood everywhere in the office and now he is missing. We made it up here and saw no sign of him. There was no way to make it out on the ground floor, it's all flooded with water." Hotch explained as they ran down.

"We will get you all out, Hotch, we promise," Jason said.

"I know you will. We are all a team right." Hotch smiled weakly as they continued to go down further.

"Hitch, didn't you say that they were on the ground floor?" Steven asked, confusion lacing is voice.

Hotch ran around the corner and saw what Steven saw. Before him was his family and also looking confused up to him.

"It is so good to see you. Please get us out of here." Rossi said as he saw his friends.

"Aw, Hotch man! I have never been so happy to see you", Morgan sighed.

* * *

"Why is Reid severely injured?" Chris asked as the three of them were looking around the huge roof to find their youngest friend.

"A part of the floor and roof broke down as went home. Spence was the closest. He had a metal piece sticking out of him and we had to remove it and some other injuries and we don't know yet if he hasn't hurt himself more by getting up here. On the office floor was a lot of blood and we just left him alone." J.J said between sobs.

Chris put his hand on her shoulder.

"We will find him don't worry. You know Reid; he is a fighter. A hell of a fighter." Chris said with a small smile.

J.J was about to reply when they heard Adam shout.

"Guys over there is a broken cover of a ventilation of something!" Adam yelled and all of them began to run as fast as possible.

As J.J looked down her blood went cold.

"Guys we found Reid. We need help. Immediately!"

* * *

 **So I've just read this for the fist time too because it's not my chapter. I just want to give Sarry22 a quick shoutout for doing such a good job! How the hell am I going to follow this!**

 **Thanks for reading guys. Please review.**

 **I will see you soon with my next chapter!**


	9. Comforting Darkness- 9- Dextolan

**(Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds or it's characters)**

 **I am so angry right now! I finished this chapter and had 2,600 words and I was feeling pretty good about it. I saved it twice and then again in the morning, it is literally an hour later and its all gone! I feel like crying, I'm back at 600 words again and I was hoping to publish it tonight...**

 **Oh, thank god! I saved it on my phone at 2k words, so I've still lost about 500 words, but that's easy to fix. Phew! I still need to rewrite this AN.**

 **I just want to say a really big thank you And well done to Sarry22 for her last chapter which was brilliant and is partly why it's taken me so long to update; I had to follow it with something just as good.**

 **Also, I'm sorry for the delay! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I just needed to finish my latest story and focus on my college work, but I'm feeling a bit more organised now ;)**

 **Thank you all for your reviews, they mean a lot to both of us!**

 **Please keep reviewing!**

 **Enjoy.**

* * *

"Take my hand, Rossi!" Hotch begged as the Italian clung to the cracking floor, the jagged concrete cutting into his palms. The others paused on the stairs, looking back down while Rossi hung for his life.

Rossi pulled himself halfway up and Hotch and Jason grabbed his arms and pulled him the rest of the way until the 3 of them were sat panting in relief.

"How the hel-," Morgan started.

"I am supposed to be retired! I'm not fit to walk along a railing! Especially one that's hanging above a six-floor drop!" Grunted the older agent with irritation.

"Can you guys hurry up," Garcia jibbed and Rossi stared up at her incredulously.

"Easy for you to say. You try hanging from there!"

"I think you'll find I did...in a way, and I fell!" Rossi didn't reply, he stood up and brushed himself off, grumbling about railings and a glass of scotch that he could really use.

"Let's go. We still need to find Reid."

"Wait...you haven't found him?" Emily asked as she paced up the stairs.

"No, but JJ, Chris, and Adam are looking for him now. We'll find him in no time," Steven reassured. Hitch nodded in agreement, nevertheless, he hurried up the stairs faster.

* * *

"Is he breathing?" JJ Cried, leaning down as if to try and reach out to him.

"I-I don't know. Wait here," JJ watched with her hands clasped over her mouth and a single tear tickling her trembling fingers as Chris lowered himself down to get to Reid.

The FBI's ventilation system was huge, the main box sat on the roof, the top just inching above the surface of the roof, with long metal cylinders plugged into the floor and traveling through the building to keep it ventilated. However, the big box had been partly destroyed, jagged and charred metal revealed a huge hole in the box. Inside the box were big industrial fans with metal cages to ensure that if anything did get in it wouldn't be sliced be pieces, which could've been the case with Reid if the bars weren't there and the system wasn't down.

JJ hovered, her body twitching to follow Chris into the box and help. She restrained herself sufficiently enough, but she still teetered over the edge, peering anxiously at her fallen teammate.

"Hey, JJ, get Adam! I need help getting him out," Chris called up.

"Is he breathing?!" JJ asked urgently.

"Yes, but his pulse is weak! Get Adam and hurry!" JJ spun around, her eyes immediately falling on the only other person on the roof who was speaking into a radio.

"ADAM!" She cried desperately. Looking back down quickly she saw Chris trying to wake the pale young man. "Hurry!"

Adam skidded to a stop beside her.

"Sorry, I was just radioing for another copter," Adam apologised.

"Help Chris, please!" JJ begged pointing into the hole.

"Oh god," Adam muttered, scrabbling over the side.

JJ chanted a mantra in her head; _Please be alright, please be alright._

* * *

Hotch burst through the double doors, holding them absently open for the next person, before striding over the roof.

"We can take Reid first in that helicopter, Adam should have called for another," Steven said, pointing out the lone helicopter, parked on the helipad.

"JJ!" Hotch called. His eyes scanned the roof, his worry building.

"Jay-," Morgan started to shout when a blonde head shot up from behind a ventilation cylinder. Hotch didn't hesitate; he was sprinting to his agent, holding his breath as he did so.

Adam held a fresh bandage to the temporary ones that had already soaked through with blood. JJ was back on her knees, stroking Spencer's hair from his sweat covered forehead. Hotch half sighed with relief half gasped. They'd found Spencer, but his condition had worsened greatly. His youngest agent's breathing was shallow and sporadic, his face a pale hue as if the blood had literally been drained from him. The bags under his eyes were ten times more prominent, the big dark circles made his eyes look sunken. His brow was sweaty, with beads of sweat flushing his unhealthily white skin.

His clothing was caked in dried and fresh blood; Hotch no longer knew where it was coming from.

His eyes fluttered restlessly as he tried to focus on the voices.

"Reid?" Hotch hissed breathlessly, bending down beside JJ.

Spencer managed to drag his eyelids up and his glazed stare crossed the familiar faces.

"H-ho-," he tried to say, but it came out as a painful rasp.

"Don't try and speak, Spencer," Hotch soothed, patting the young man's shoulder in reassurance. Reid frowned; _first names? This must be serious._ A cold and uncomfortable sensation fluttered through him and he shivered.

"Sh-sh-s-sho-o-"

"He's in shock," Christ finished for him.

Spencer inhaled deeply, but he still felt out of breath. He tried again, but the feeling remained, making his head feel light and his vision blurred dangerously. Adam pressed harder on the wound in his side and he groaned loudly.

"Spence, it's alright, we've got you", JJ said slowly, taking his hand and squeezing. His tawny brown eyes swept the roof before landing on her face.

"We-We're safe?" He asked in a small voice. "The others...a-are the-"

"They're fine, We're safe and we're all here Spence, and that's because of you. You saved us", she whispered gently, pressing her lips to his hand. His eyes weakly roamed and he caught sight of his team stood and sat close by all looking on at him anxiously. Spencer frowned again, especially upon seeing the blood trickling down the side of Garcia's face and the way Rossi kept his hands under his armpits and winced at every shift; _why are they so worried about me, they should be more focused on themselves_ , he thought. He realised JJ was watching him with the same expression of anxiety so he stared at her and smiled.

Once again the mind-numbing sensation rippled through him and his breath caught in his throat as he tried not to shiver or gasp.

Reid focused on JJ, praying she could see him through. His eyes became a little distant as he tried to focus on her features. Blurriness assaulted his vision. JJ held onto his hand for dear life, trying to share her warmth with his deathly coldness. She watched his brown eyes fade and panic rose inside her.

"Spence, you've gotta hold on, okay?" Spencer didn't reply. His body became limp and JJ couldn't feel his hand holding hers anymore, it just felt cold and unmoving.

"Spence?"

Adam paused with the bandages and felt Reid's neck. He almost fell back in fear.

"He's crashing", he yelled, grabbing the intubation kit and starting CPR.

"No!"

* * *

Spencer could feel his body deteriorate rapidly. He tried to stop it, he really did, but his body pleaded for the pain to cease and for warmth that only the tempting darkness was offering. Spencer only closed his eyes briefly and already he felt his body giving up on him, chasing the endless darkness that suddenly surrounded him. He thought he could hear distant voices... _crying, was someone crying._ He didn't want to upset anyone. He struggled back toward the light but he seemed to have lost it, the darkness had swallowed it whole, like the final curtain at the end of a play. _Final..._ Spencer thought as he touched the permeating blackness that had stolen all his pain and fear. _Is this it,_ he mused, craning his neck to listen to the voices. The voices were in another land now; a land he had decided to leave. It had been so easy, like a door, he had just walked through. The only problem was that the door had locked and now he was trapped.

* * *

Hotch sat on the edge of his bed, searching through his belonging bag to retrieve his clothes and change out of the awful hospital gown he'd been forced to wear. The doctor walked in to find his patient tearing into his bag impatiently, pulling out soiled clothes.

"You should be resting Agent, you went through quite an ordeal."

"No, I need to see my team. I'd like my discharge papers," Hotch retorted, straightening out his sodden clothes. The doctor rolled his eyes.

"You can't put those back on. I'll get your discharge papers and I'll have a nurse bring you spare clothes. Just stay in bed until we come back."

Hotch grunted but didn't get up. He rubbed the scratches on his arm, trying to remove the painful loose skin that had been scuffed whilst climbing.

He drummed his fingers on the pillow as he waited. He frowned at the groans that came from the beds nearby and drummed faster as he got more and more impatient. After another minute he was ready to get up and find his discharge papers himself when a blonde hurried in with a bandage over her previously bloody knuckles. She smiled at the sight of Hotch and practically fell into his embrace.

"Thank god! We all got separated and I was starting to get worried," she breathed into his neck.

"Where is everyone? How's Reid? Where is he?" Hotch demanded, standing up and holding her arms tightly, looking firmly at her for an answer. JJ blanched a little, bit managed to stay standing.

"Um...in the helicopter his...h-his heart stopped again. W-we were just about to land at the time and he was still unresponsive when they unloaded him. I-I don't know what happened after that because he was gone before I...b-before I could say goodbye," JJ choked slightly on her words as a strangled cry left her mouth. She composed herself quickly and looked straight into Hotch's stern eyes.

"I don't know about the others. T-they took me to a cubicle and they've only just let me out. I heard a doctor talking about a stubborn agent in room 301, and you're all stubborn...and agents, so I came here," she explained, taking a quick breath. "What about you? Didn't you go with Garcia and Rossi?" She asked.

"Yes, but like you, they were taken off to different places, as was I and I haven't seen anyone since. They should be bringing my discharge papers now," he grumbled bitterly.

"Are the others okay? I didn't get a chance to ask, but I saw the blood on Rossi's hands."

"Rossi almost fell down the stairwell, but he grabbed onto the broken floor and tore his hands up pretty bad. He'll probably need a few stitches and a scotch, but other than that he's alright. Garcia is the same as she was; shaken up and she had that gash on her head, but she seemed coherent on the flight. She did complain about nausea, but she always bounces back," JJ nodded solemnly.

"And Morgan and Prentiss? Were they alright?"

* * *

Emily pulled off her IV angrily and the nurse yelped and tried to stop the agent.

"Ma'am please, you need to rest," the nurse said. He took Emily's hand gently, trying to help her back into the bed. Emily jerked away and practically growled at him.

"Where are my friends?" She snapped.

"Uh...what friends?" The nurse appeared nervous as he wrung his hands.

"The other agents I was brought in with."

"Oh! You're one of the agent's?!" He exclaimed in astonishment. Emily rolled her eyes.

"Yes, where are the others?"

"I know where two of them are. David Rossi is having his hands cleaned and stitched and um...oh, what's his name. Begins with a g...I think," the nurse bit his tongue and squinted as he thought.

"Garcia?" Emily scowled, _Garcia's not a 'he'._

"No...um...real muscular guy-"

"Derek Morgan."

"That's the one! He's in room 375 and I believe he is annoying his nurses," he said with a grin, forgetting his duty to keep the agent in bed.

"Thanks," Emily took off down the hall, uncaring of her gown billowing around her. _Starts with a 'g'?_ She thought to herself with a smirk. _I suppose Derek Morgan just does start with a 'g'._

* * *

Garcia wiped the tears from her face as the nurse finished gluing her head.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You should have told me if it hurt," the nurse said apologetically. Garcia shook her heavy head slowly and sighed as the throbbing intensified.

"No, no, it wasn't that...I-it's just I don't know where the rest of my team is, or if they're okay," Garcia murmured sullenly.

"Team? Are you referring to the federal agents from that building disaster?" She asked seriously.

"Yes, but I haven't heard from any of them since I arrived."

"Oh, well I know where one agent is, but you have a concussion so if I let you go will you promise to rest and have someone watch you?"

"Yes, Yes, Yes! Please just tell me where to go!"

"He's in room 301."

* * *

 **That's all for now, I didn't want to go into too much detail at the hospital, just a general idea of where everyone is.**

 **Good luck on the next chapter Sarry22, I know you'll do a great job!**

 **Please review and we will be back soon.**


	10. Flashbacks- 10- Sarry22

**(Disclaimer: we do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)**

 **Hey! We're back with an all-new chapter. Today is Sarry22's chapter. I hope you guys like it!**

* * *

 **I want to take a quick minute to thank my amazing collab partner dextolan. For always inspiring me with ideas and helping me out whenever I am stuck in my writing. Who corrects my grammar mistakes (cause English is not my first language) and simply always helps me with her advice. Thank you**

 **Thank you for all your reviews and please continue to leave your reviews.** **Now enjoy chapter 10 of our story.**

* * *

Emily walked down the corridor, cursing under her breath as she made her way to the room that Morgan was supposed to be in. When she turned the corner she already heard an argument and a smile made its way to her face.

 _Typical Morgan. Stubborn as always_. She thought while she leaned against the doorframe of his room.

Morgan sat on the side of his bed and argued with a young nurse.

"I want to see my team and I want my discharge papers like right now!" He growled angrily. The nurse turned around and left the room with fast steps.

"Will you ever stop annoying the nurses?" Emily said with a grin. Morgan looked over at her and let out a sigh.

"Emily Prentiss. I've never been so happy in my life to see you. Are you okay? Do you have any information on the others? On Reid?" He said and started rambling like Reid.

"Well, it's good to see you too, Derek. My leg is just fine and I'm free to go. How are you? I just know that Rossi is having his hands stitched, but I have no information on the others yet," Emily informed him in a serious tone.

"Bullshit. You discharged yourself too. I heard the nurses talking about a female agent that just ripped her I.V. out and discharged herself. It only could be you," He said with a small chuckle.

"You're right. It seems like we all want out of here as soon as possible." Emily said while she walked over to Morgan and sat down next to him on the edge of the bed.

Morgan pulled her into a hug and they stayed like that for a few seconds before the embrace came to an end, but Morgan's arm still remained around Emily's shoulders.

"How do you think Reid is doing?" Emily asked in nothing more than a whisper.

"He will be good as new. He's a fighter. We just have to wait," Morgan mumbled as his mind drifted off.

* * *

Garcia quickly made her way down the hospital corridor. Her eyes red and puffy from non-stop crying. _Oh God please let my babies be okay,_ She prayed as she basically ran down the room. In that moment she put all her manners aside and just busted through the door without even caring to knock.

The moment she walked into the room J.J's and Hotch's eyes landed on her with a confused expression all over their faces.

"Oh thank god, you're okay." Garcia said with a sab as new tears made their way down her face. She ran over to J.J and pulled her into a bone crashing hug.

"It's okay, I got you Garcia. Are you alright?" J.J asked in concern as she looked at Garcia's head wound.

"I am fine, honestly, don't worry about me. Just a concussion." She said while her eyes wandered to Hotch. She walked over to him.

"May I?" She asked as she looked him straight in the eyes with tears in her eyes.

Hotch didn't answer but instead stood up and pulled her close in a hug. Garcia started to sob uncontrollably against Hotch's chest. He calmly stroke her back.

"Everything will be alright Penelope, don't worry." He said while looking down at his shaking co-worker. It felt a bit weird to hug someone for that long but he knew in this situation it was more than needed; not only for her but for him as well.

Hotch released Garcia from his embrace and he guided her to sit down on the bed and handed her a tissue. J.J sat down next to her and took her trembling hands in her own.

"Do you have any news on the others?" J.J. asked hopefully.

Garcia shook her head. "No, they just told me that I would find one agent in room 301 and here I am."

A small knock pulled them out of their conversation and a young nurse came into the room followed by a doctor.

"Here are your discharge papers, Agent Hotchner." The young nurse said and let the doctor step forward.

"The best word to describe your team right now has to be stubborn. I have to admit that." The doctor said with a serious tone. Hotch immediately was in full boss mode.

"Do you have any information on my team?" Hotch asked stern but also hopeful.

The doctor looked down into his files. "I just signed the discharge papers of an Agent called Emily Prentiss and as far as I know she is with another Agent of yours. Morgan I think was his name if I remember correctly. This agent also demanded to be discharged immediately. They're in room 375."

J.J. softly chuckled as the doctor explained how stubborn and insisting Emily and Derek were; it certainly was no surprise to her. The small smile quickly disappeared as she thought about Rossi and Spence.

"Do you have any news on Agent Rossi and Dr. Reid?" She asked concerned. She pressed Garcia's hand a bit tighter" afraid for the answer.

"Agent Rossi is getting his wounds stitched up as we speak and should make a full recovery. As for Dr. Reid, I sadly don't have any news. I am sorry but I will make sure to inform you as soon as I hear anything from your Agent."

"Thank you for everything." Hotch said and shook the doctors hand. The doctor shook all their hands and walked out.

"If you need anything please just ring the bell. Here or in room 375 where I think you are going now. I will personally take Agent Rossi to your room then." The nurse said with a small smile.

"Thank you Miss Roberts. We really appreciate that. " Hotch said firmly, glancing at her name tag and feeling a little bad for how he had treated her earlier.

"Oh please call me Abby and you're welcome." She said as she too turned around and left the room.

"Let's go and reunite our team." Hotch said and they all together made their way towards room number 375.

* * *

"Charge the defibrillator higher and everyone get away from the table!" The doctor yelled at the staff around him. "Charging. Three. Two. One!"

Reid felt as if 1000 lightning bolts were rushing through his body. Pain. The pain was everywhere. In that moment he realised something. He was dying. They tried to make his heart beat again. He had to fight but he was in so much pain. How was that even possible?

 _"This is Dr. Reid, our expert in...well, everything_." He heard Hotch's voice echo in his mind.

 _Well obviously not in everything it seems, otherwise I would have found a way to save my team sooner_ , Reid thought sadly while his mind was racing.

"We got a pulse Doctor!" A nurse called out as the soft beeping of a machine was heard in the otherwise quiet room. A few sighs could be heard.

"Good work but now let's hurry up with the surgery. I don't know if we could get him back one more time." The doctor said as the continued the surgery.

Suddenly, another memory flashed into his mind. " _Do you want to go to Yale Henry? That was your godfather's safety school. I can get you into Caltech with just one phone call."_ Reid remembered how happy he was in that moment. Never in a million years had he thought someone would like him so much that he would be chosen as a godfather. He wondered if he would ever see Henry again and if he could keep his promise to him.

"Aspirate the blood! There is too much blood I can't see anything!" The doctor yelled. "We need two more packs of blood transfusion. He is losing too much blood!"

 _"Pretty. Boy!_ "

 _Morgan_? Sadly Reid realised it was yet again another flashback to when everything was normal. Reid remembered how confused he was the first time Morgan gave him that nickname He thought he was just being mean and said that to tease him but soon Morgan became his best friend and he grew into his nickname. How he wished he could hear his team talking to him right now.

"Where are the damn blood transfusions? That kid is too young and I refuse to allow him to die on my table! So I don't care what you have to do but get the damn blood transfusions!"

 _"If you ever need anything. Just blow on that._ " He heard Derek say in the back of his mind. A picture of the silver whistle crossed his mind. He bet that if he had a whistle right now and would blow it that Derek would break down all the doors to get to him followed by the others close behind. Reid knew something was not right when his mind began to get clouded.

"His vital signs are dropping again!" From a distance, Reid could hear that the doctor ordered the nurses to get some medication but right now he couldn't care less. He tried to focus on his team. His family.

" _What did you join a boy band?"_ Trying to finally be normal and it backfired like that. The hairdresser tricked him. _It will look so good on you. I can assure you that._ Well he remembered the funny looks he got from his team, but all he focused now was their smiles.

"Attach the first bag of blood transfusion now. Let's hurry up!"

Morgan's whistle had helped. Well, not really but Reid really liked the thought that Morgan got him the lifesaving blood transfusions because he called out to him.

" _This is gonna hit you and when it does, there are only three facts you need to remember. You did what you had to do, and a lot of good people are alive because of what you did."_ Gideon's words were stuck in his head right now and the last sentence was on repeat in his mind.

" _I am proud of you!"_

* * *

 **Thank you and all the love, Sarry.**

* * *

 **I just want to add to what Sarry said: Thank you guys so much for your continued support, it really motivates us both.**

 **With that said, it is now my turn! Ahhhh, okay, well I best get writing; I'll be back with an update as soon as I can.**

 **See you in Chapter...11 is it?**


	11. Hold on- 11- Dextolan

**(Disclaimer: We do not own Criminal Minds or it's characters.)**

 **Thank you guys for your reviews on the last chapter!**

 **I'm back with the latest chapter. Next chapter will belong to Sarry22, be sure to favourite and follow her and check out her ongoing story 'The Monster'; it's awesome!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Spencer opened his eyes slowly and frowned when he felt no pain weigh his body down. He glanced down at himself; gone was the mundane hospital gown that had been stained with his own blood, in its place was a pristine white pair of trousers and socks and a white top. He stood up slowly, surprised at how easy it was. He stared at his hands and carefully spun in a circle; a smile broke across his face at how free he felt.

He paused and fumbled around his body, looking for the injuries he'd acquired. The impalement wound had vanished and his thigh was no longer a mess of flesh, blood and bone.

"Hello?" He called shyly. He gaped at the white light ahead of him. Behind him lay Darkness, so dark that he could not see anything beyond it. In front of him was so much white light that he couldn't distinguish anything in that direction either. That was until a figure began to emerge from the light.

Spencer shielded his eyes and squinted at the figure. As the figure got nearer Spencer realised it was a woman. He could make out her white dress and long wavy brown hair. He narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

"Spencer, is that you?" She asked, stopping in front of him and looking him up and down.

"Maeve."

* * *

"Hotch!" Emily tore out of her bed and wrapped her arms around her boss. Hotch was so taken aback that all he could do was watch her. Morgan was pulling on a shirt the nurse had given him and he hissed in pain as he carefully guided his arm through.

Garcia and JJ slipped in and Garcia pounced on the two agents.

"Oh thank god you guys are alright!" She cried, giving Morgan a firm kiss on the cheek.

"Speak for yourself," he grunted as he led his injured arm into a sling.

"He's feeling a bit sorry for himself," Emily winked, releasing JJ and wiping her relieved tears away. Morgan grunted in reply.

"Where's Reid? Rossi?" Garcia asked seriously, hoping they knew more.

"Rossi is getting stitches on his hands, you remember when he was hanging off that ledge. He must have tore 'em up pretty bad; stubborn old man didn't tell me though, I thought he was in pain in the helicopter," Morgan sighed with a ghost smile gracing his lips. "He'll discharge himself and find us if he's anything like the Italian I know. As for Pretty Boy; I've been told nothing. I've asked, god knows I've asked, but they all say the same; 'he's in surgery' 'we don't know anything more'. It's driving me insane!" Morgan slammed his good fist on the bed and groaned.

"I'm sure he will be okay," Garcia whispered.

Before the team could answer the door opened and a short, stout nurse stuck her head through.

"Is Jennifer Jureau in here?" She asked in a dry, nasal voice. JJ raised her hand like a child and the nurse ushered in the figures behind her.

"Oh my god!" JJ staggered forward and enveloped her husband and son in a tight hug, crying into Will's shoulder with happiness.

"Thank god you're okay! We've been waiting for news from you guys," Will said in a croaky voice as if he had been crying.

"I missed you two so much. Oh, Henry!" She gave him a big kiss and took him from Will's arm, cradling him as if he were a baby again.

"I missed you, mommy," he murmured, returning a quick peck on her scratched cheek. "Don't leave again," he pleaded. JJ brushed the hair from his eyes and tilted his head up so he could look into her eyes.

"Never, baby."

"Are you guys okay?" Will asked, his hand still glued to JJ's back to make sure she was still with him.

"Just beat up and tired," Morgan made his best effort at a smile, but inside he was in turmoil. Garcia was glaring at the floor, trying to hold herself together.

"Where're the others? Rossi and Reid?"

"I'll explain later," JJ hissed so that Henry couldn't hear.

"Have you been discharged?" Will asked.

"Technically yes," Hotch added with a small grin. He was pretty sure that they had all discharged themselves.

"I'd like to take you home, Jen," he simpered. JJ would have loved to go home and sink into a warm bath, but she knew that her team needed her.

"I need to stay here so I know what's happening," she insisted.

Hotch cleared his throat and stepped forward. "I know you what to be kept updated, JJ, but I think it would be better for you to go home. Be with your family; get some rest," Hotch implored. Neither Henry or Will argued, but JJ shifted a little uncomfortably.

"Hotch! How can you even think of going home!? We have no idea how our boy genius is and you want her to go home!?" Suddenly, Garcia snapped, angry tears tumbled down her face. "He could be...he could..." she took a deep shuddering breath, "he could be dead for all we know! You can't go! You can't leave Spencer!" The team stood in stunned silence as Garcia choked on her built up emotions and turned her back on them.

"What's wong with uncle Spence?" Henry whispered, fear lacing his every syllable. JJ wiped her tears quickly away and gave Henry her biggest smile.

"He got a little bit hurt, but he's going to be okay," she promised, but it was too late, her son's face had already dropped with sadness and fat tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Did he die, mommy?" He mumbled. JJ remembered how Henry's goldfish had died a few months before and he had cried for a few days straight. She had no idea children could have such a good perception of death at the delicate age of 6.

"No, baby," JJ replied, desperately trying to brush her tears away.

"Then whewe is he!? Uncle Spence!?" Henry cried, looking around eagerly for his godfather. "Uncle Spence!?" JJ handed her son back to Will and had to turn away so Henry couldn't see her sob. She felt her heart tear at the edges.

* * *

"I want to stay here...with you," Spencer whimpered, brushing his hands lightly through her soft hair. The last time he saw her hair it was sticky and matted with blood. There was no bullet wound in her head now; her skin was flawless as it had been before the irrefutable bullet buried itself beneath it. Spencer traced where the wound had been and sighed when she took his face in her hands.

"I know. I want you to stay, but that's selfish...you have so much more to do, Spencer," she whispered, pressing her cheek into his cold trembling palm.

"So could you. Y-you had so much more to do," he stammered, feeling hot tears cascade down his cool cheeks. Maeve's shook her head and pushed the tears aside.

"I had no choice, Spencer. You do. Please don't give up, not for me, I don't want that," Spencer's breath hitched as her gentle fingers traced the prominent rings under his eyes. She took a step closer, placing a plan on his chest to push him back. Spencer began to feel the pain again, he glanced back and saw the darkness he left behind.

"Please, Maeve, I want to stay here with you," Spencer pleaded, but Maeve pushed him back again.

"Do this for me. It's not your time yet." Spencer took an unwilling step back and felt pain shoot up through his leg. He looked down and saw his white trousers darken with crimson. He looked back up at Maeve and the light beyond her.

"I can't do this without you," he blurted out and she gave him another push away from her. His face became paler and the bruises he'd sustained during the storm started reappearing.

"Maeve," he coughed, looking down at his bloodstained palms.

"Would you have wanted me to give up if I had the same choice?!" Maeve cried, forcing Spencer back. His white t-shirt flooded with blood from the wound on his side. His bare arms became streaked with dust mingled with dry blood.

"No," he croaked, looking up at her as he tried to keep his balance, pain tearing through him like a lightning bolt.

"I can't watch you give up. You can do this, Spencer." Reid gazed up at Maeve and swallowed thickly. Blood trickled down the side of her head where the flesh had parted to make way for the bullet that sent her here. Her skin was the same sickly pale as his, yet she still smiled at him.

"I'll see you someday, but not today," she sighed. Spencer reached out for her one last time and caught her warm pale fingers in his dirty cold ones. She gave him a light shove and he was swallowed by the darkness once more.

* * *

Rossi staggered out of his room the sound a doctor groaning at him to wait behind him.

"Just let me see my team," Rossi grumbled as the doctor caught up with him. He rolled his eyes and without a word began leading the way.

Rossi got to the room and thanked the disgruntled doctor before shoving the door open with his shoulder, avoiding using his injured hands.

"Rossi!?" He looked up just as Garcia coiled her arms around him like a snake. He couldn't return the hug due to his bandaged hands.

"Easy!" She released him a little apologetically.

"I'm not as young as I look," he grunted and the team laughed. He shot them all false glowers before settling in the armchair that Garcia had abandoned. She shuffled onto the second bed beside Emily and the mood became somber once more.

"That suits you," Morgan snorted, pointing to the gown. Rossi gave him a look, that made him cover his mouth quickly.

"Where's the kid?" Silence followed and Rossi looked up curiously.

"Hello? Where's Einstein gone? What rooms he in?"

"We don't know," Garcia whispered.

"You don't- has no-one told you where he is?" They shook their heads. "Right," he got to his feet abruptly, making Garcia and Morgan jump. "I'm going to have a little word with the doctors."

Just as he got to the door it opened to reveal two older doctors decked out in scrubs, smears of blood peppering the crinkled outfits.

"We were told you were looking for information of Mr. Spencer Reid?" One asked, holding the door open for the second one and coming into the light where the team could see the vivid blood against the green scrubs.

"Dr," Hotch, Emily and Morgan said in unison.

"Sorry. I assume you are all members of _Dr._ Spencer Reid's family?"

"We're his team. I'm his medical contact, what you tell me can be told to the rest of my team," Hotch insisted. Henry looked around in bewilderment and Will pulled him into his arms.

"I think I'll take Henry to the vending machine," Will added as he made his way to the door.

"But-" Henry started to protest, but Morgan quickly cut him off.

"Don't eat all of the M and Ms they're my favourite," Henry gave him a wicked little smile and made it his mission to eat the M and Ms before Morgan found out. As soon as they left Rossi pounced into action.

"I don't want all the ins and outs, okay. Be straight with us. Is...is he still-"

"Alive?" The second doctor asked. Rossi nodded anxiously. "Yes." The team sighed in relief.

"For now," the first doctor added and Garcia squeaked in fear.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Growled Morgan, eyeing the doctors angrily.

"That means that Spencer is in critical condition. He's on a strict 24-hour watch and we're hopeful, but we've seen a situation like this go downhill many times before," the first doctor looked around at the stunned team. "He's a fighter, that's for sure," he added to try and reassure them.

"Why's he on a watch?" Questioned Hotch, though he dreaded to hear the answer.

"His heart has been under a great deal of stress; it gave out on the table twice an-"

"He died?" Emily gasped.

"His heart stopped, yes, but we got him back. He is on a heavy dose of morphine...I know we were told no narcotics, but without it the pain would be too much for his heart to deal with. If his heart stops again we doubt very much that we will be able to bring him back. If he survives past the next 24 hours we will lower the dosage and see how he copes."

The team listened in silence. Hotch visibly cringed when they mentioned the morphine.

"Do you want to hear the 'ins and the outs' now?" The doctor asked. Hotch nodded on behalf of his shocked team.

"The biggest problem we had was with the sheer volume of blood Dr. Reid lost. I'm surprised he didn't go into shock sooner. We had to gave him several blood transfusions just to get him to a suitable level and he needed more during surgery. The leg wound was beginning to show signs of infection; he is on a strong course of antibiotics to counter this. The bone was openly fractured, muscle and nerves were damaged. If he makes it past his current condition he will need physical therapy to regain mobility of his leg. He may not gain full mobility again; often injuries like this lead to a limp or considerable stagger, but that just depends on how much effort the patient puts into therapy."

Hotch remembered Reid saying the same about his last leg injury and after just over a year he was walking fine again; 'defying statistics' as Rossi had put it.

"Whatever impaled Dr. Reid got deep enough to slice his small intestine open. We managed to repair the damage, but we also found extensive internal bleeding," the doctor took a quick breath, recalling the blood he had over his hands and the desperate attempts to restart the young man's heart. "He also has some superficial injuries; bruising across much of his body, lacerations, some of which needed stitching, a broken rib, and a mild concussion." The Doctor stopped abruptly as if coming to the end of an important letter.

"He is currently on a ventilator to help him breathe," the second doctor added.

"Can...can we see him?" JJ mumbled.

"Normally I'd say no, but he's been declining and I think he needs something to hold onto."

"What do you mean?" Morgan hissed in frustration.

"It's extremely possible that Spencer is aware and can hear what's going on around him. You need to show him what he's got to come back to because if he continues to decline he will die."

* * *

Spencer couldn't feel his body. He could only hear as if he were locked in the recess of his mind.

He was already starting to regret his decision to come back. The soft beeping noise only worsened the deep and heavy silence that sat on top of him like a dead weight.

 _Why didn't I stay with her?_ He thought. _Why did I come back?_

A soft squeak of door hinges added to the banal heart monitor. It sounded like the beeping of a bomb, ticking away his dwindling second.

 _What have I got to live for?_ He thought bitterly.

Through the numbness, he felt a smithing small and soft rest on his bruised, cold and still hand.

"Hi, Uncle Spence, it Henwy. Please, can you wake up."

* * *

 **Another chapter over!**

 **Please review! Thank you guys for your reviews on Sarry's chapter, like always they keep us motivated.**

 **Next chapter is Sarry's so I hope you're excited!**

 **See you then!**


	12. Visitors- 12- Sarry22

**(Disclaimer: We do not own Criminal Minds or its characters)**

 **Thank you guys for your reviews!**

 **This is Sarry's chapter so I'll hand you over to her...**

* * *

 **I just want to take a quick second to thank everyone that left a review. Please keep going.**

 **And again a huge thank you to my collab partner Dextolan. Thank you for your patience and that you always help me out with new ideas. Thank you again for choosing me to write this story with you. I really loved it.**

* * *

 _What have I got to live for_? Spencer thought bitterly.

Through the numbness, he felt a smithing, small and soft hand rest on his bruised, cold and still hand.

"Hi, Uncle Spencer, it Henwy. Please, can you wake up."

The team let J.J, Will, and Henry go to see Reid first. They knew that they would all fit easily in the huge private room that the hospital had been nice enough to put Reid in. Slowly the team made their way into the room.

Everyone was shocked to see their youngest team member in this state. He looked even thinner and paler than usual. Around him were tons of machines and wires. Garcia immediately started to sob and found herself in Morgan's embrace.

Derek guided her over to a couch and sat down with her so he could pull her close and hold her tight. The others all took place in the seats across the wall, only Hotch remained standing.

"Mommy, what awe all these things for?" Henry asked in a small voice as he pointed at all the wires and machines. J.J. just stood there in shock and didn't know how to explain this situation to her son but luckily that conversation was taken from her as Hotch stepped forward towards Henry.

As Hotch stepped closer the small boy held his hands out to him and he picked him up and sat him on the side of his hip. Everyone was listening closely now.

"You know Uncle Spencer is a bit hurt and he needs time to get better." He pointed towards the oxygen tube. "This tube helps your uncle to breath. For you, it is normal to take deep breaths in and out right?" Hotch asked while watching Henry closely. Henry took a deep breath and then looked at Hotch with all his attention.

"Yes, it's easy, Uncle Hotch," Henry said in a quiet voice.

"For your Uncle, it is a bit difficult to do this right now so he needs this tube to help him with that," Hotch said slowly so Henry could follow. Henry nodded hesitantly and then pointed towards the heart monitor.

"What's that? The noise is funny and it shows funny lines." Henry said with much interest as he watched the lines go up and down. Hotch gave a small smile at that explanation.

"These lines show how strong your Uncle's heart is working at the moment," Hotch said and immediately Henry's head shot up.

"Really?" Henry asked with wide eyes.

Hotch leaned down and carefully laid one of Henry's small hands over Reid's heart.

"Look at the screen and feel at the same time," Hotch said and Henry watched in fascination as the lines jumped up and down.

Hotch explained everything there was to explain for Henry, but then Henry turned around to face Hotch and his eyes got watery.

"Uncle Hotch?" He asked in a broken voice.

"Yes, buddy?" Hotch asked with concern in his voice.

"Will Uncle Spence be okay? Why doesn't he wake up? I always wake up when someone touches me but Uncle Spence doesn't." Tears started to fall and Hotch quickly wiped them away.

"Uncle Spencer needs sleep right now to get better so he can read stories to you again." Henry's eyes immediately light up.

"Can we read for him, Uncle Hotch? I have one of my books with me. Can we?" Henry asked hopefully.

"Sure we can, buddy," Hotch said as he sat down on the edge of the bed with Henry still in his arms. J.J. handed Hotch the book and the two started to read.

* * *

Halfway through the book, Henry had fallen asleep in Hotch's arms and Hotch softly closed the book.

"I think he needs his bed. J.J., take him home. We will inform you if there is any change." Hotch said as he faced J.J.

"I don't want to leave Spence," J.J. mumbled as she took her sleeping son from Hotch.

"He won't be alone, we will be here with him. We won't leave. Henry needs you now J.J and this is not the right place for him to stay all the time and you know that." Hotch said softly. J.J thought about it and then she just nodded in defeat. Will walked over to her and took Henry from her so she could say her goodbyes.

J.J pulled everyone into an embrace and then she walked over to Reid's bed. She stroked a strand of wavy brown hair in need of a wash, out of his face and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Please come back to us Spence," J.J said as a single tear ran down her face.

Hotch pushed a chair to Reid's bedside as he slowly sat down and lay one of his hands over Reids. The team decided that everyone should get a few minutes to talk to Spencer alone and the others would simply wait outside and drink some coffee.

"The team is outside, they're just drinking coffee...sorry, I shouldn't make you jealous. I guess if I could slip some coffee into your i.v. so you would be up in a minute. ." He sighed with a soft chuckle.

"But I do promise you that I will order a new coffee machine for the office and you will get to choose what kind. No matter how much it costs. I think the government owes it to us. Well after they rebuild the building again." He said while he looked at Reid's far too pale face.

"Do you remember that one case where you told us that you always wanted to go to New York one day and you said that you have never been there cause we never had a case there?" He said and paused. "Well of course you remember. Eidetic memory." Hotch gave his hand a little squeeze.

"I promise you that when you are out of here and you recovered that we will a vacation. The whole team. We will fly out to New York and spend a few days there. How does that sound to you?" Hotch didn't know what he expected. An answer? But the hope was always there.

"I also want...I want to say thank you: Thank you for saving us. I know that you knew you would hurt yourself worse but still, you carried on to save us and you truly did. You sent the SOS sign that got someone's attention. You are truly a hero Dr. Spencer Reid."

"Spencer please come back to us. You are part of our family. We can't lose you. Reid, I don't tell you this often enough but I'm so proud of you."

* * *

Emily took a deep breath as she sat down in the chair that was just taken by Hotch minutes before. She also found herself softly taking Reid's hand.

"How much I would love to hear some of your statistics right now. Then you would actually be lifelike to me. I still remember that look on our face when I called you that. I'm sorry when I hurt you with that but I still can't understand how someone can be as smart as you. You are truly a wonder, Spencer. I guess by now you would have finished half of the hospital library." She said with a soft chuckle.

"Reid I have to tell you. You are really the best little brother I could have ever wished for. You always help me out and I am so happy that you decided to work with the BAU even though you could be a doctor at god knows where. I know you are the reason we all made it out of there alive today. We all owe you big time, Handsome. You saved us and nearly sacrificed your own life for it. You are a true friend. Family. Thank you so much, Spencer. I promise that when you are out of hospital we will do some movie nights with Russian movies and whatever else you want to watch and I will get you a star puzzle and I will learn how to play chess...I think." She said with a little smirk as she looked at her friend.

"Just come back to us, Reid. We need you."

* * *

Derek took a seat and didn't waste a second taking Reid's hand in his.

"Pretty boy, I'm thinking about putting you on a leash to keep you out of trouble in the future. I know you don't need the whistle anymore but I'm really considering the leash. I don't know what to say, Pretty Boy. What you did in the past hours was one of the bravest things ever. You risked your life to save us out there. I don't know how we can ever repay that. I-I just want you to wake up. I know you are one hell of a fighter but I need my little brother back. That's what you are to me: my little brother and the best one that I could ever have wished for. I swear I will never play any more tricks on you. I've learned to not mess with an MIT student. You made that clear, Pretty boy. I want you to know that I will be here every step of the way. Till you wake up and the recovery and everything just like when you got yourself exposed to anthrax. You won't get rid of me pretty boy and of course, for the first few weeks, you will move in with me. Clooney and I would like some company. The Reid effect doesn't work with him." He said with a smirk as he squeezed his hand

"Buddy just wake up, please. We need you, Pretty boy."

* * *

Garcia already cried as she entered the room and sat down on the chair. Careful to not hurt Reid she laid his hand on hers.

"Boy wonder. I don't know where to start. I can't tell you how sorry I am. I left you alone. I should have stayed with you. Please, you need to wake up my junior G-Man. I couldn't live with the guilt if something happened to you my genius. I love you, Reid and I am so sorry that I left you alone in the bullpen. If I could turn back time I would have stayed with you. You saved us despite all your injuries you still managed to save us. You are the strongest and bravest person I know. You're my hero, Spencer. For a few weeks you will be my bitch again and work with me and this time I'll make tons of cookies only for you." She said in between crying.

She stood up and kissed his forehead and stroked his cheek with the back of her finger.

"Please wake up and be okay Boy wonder. We all need you. Your family needs you."

* * *

The last to enter the room was Rossi. He remained standing in front of Reid's bed and watched him. He made a mental note to get the kid to eat more.

He took a seat and also gently laid his hand on Reid's.

"What did you get yourself into this time? You are really a danger magnet, kid." Rossi stopped for a second and looked up.

"I remember when you told me that you never have any normal fans. Well, that sometimes may be true but you found one in me. I don't want to say I'm normal that's for you to decide kid. I have to say I was so honored when you knew my books word for word and that you were a fan of my work. As time passed by and we got to know each other more you really grew to be an amazing friend for me. Spencer, I actually consider you as a son to me. I am very proud of you, kid. I know I might have told that officer that you were left on the steps of the FBI but you joining the BAU was the best thing that ever could have happened to the unit." All that was heard was the beeping of the heart monitor for a few moments but then Rossi continued.

"Thank you, kid, for saving us today. Without you, I don't know if we would have made it out there alive. You were so brave, Spencer. You risked your own life for us. Thank you. Nobody knows this but I wrote another book and I was dedicating it to my Mama, but I think the special honor goes to you this time. Besides," he added with a smile. "I've already dedicated 5 books to that woman and she doesn't seem to appreciate it," he chuckled to himself, but it soon died away when he focused on the frail man in front of him.

"When you are out of here we'll have a party at my place. I will cook and we will be together as a family." He said with a small smile.

"Please wake up. We need you, Kid."

* * *

Garcia looked at Reid closely from her position on the couch in Derek's arms. She still felt horribly guilty for leaving Spencer alone in the bullpen to check on the others.

 _I'm so sorry, Spencer,_ she thought to herself but in that moment they suddenly heard a shrill noise in the room as the heart monitor started to beep rapidly.

"Reid?!" Garcia jumped up and staggered over to his bed. She watched in breathless horror as the bedcovers turned a deep and irrefutable red where his impaling wound was.

"NO! Reid don't do this! REID!" She yelled as loud as she could and she began to cry heavily.

"Baby Girl!" Morgan yelled behind her as she felt his hands on her back.

"Garcia!" Hotch yelled now even louder.

"Penelope! Wake up!" She heard Rossi yell and she felt his bandaged hands on the sides of her face.

Her eyes shot open and she immediately sat up and looked around the room. The whole team looked at her with concern. Rossi was still kneeling before her and without thinking she threw herself into his arms. She heard his calming voice.

"It was all just a dream. Everyone is okay. Spencer is going to be okay." He said as calm as possible.

He just held her for a few minutes before the embrace ended and she looked around again.

"I'm so sorry." She said in between sobs.

"You don't have to be sorry for anything, Garcia. You wanna talk about your dream?" Hotch asked as he took a seat next to Rossi on the couch.

New tears formed in her eyes as she began to speak. "I feel so guilty. It was my fault. I should have never left him. I had one simple order. To stay with Reid and what do I do? Abandon him to go looking for you guys. He could have died and he still could b-because of me." She said while crying.

Morgan stood up and stretched his arm out towards Garcia. She took a hold of his hand as he pulled her up and towards Reid's bed. He pushed her down softly on the side of his bed. He softly laid her hand on Reids and she immediately took his hand and squeezed it softly as fresh tears ran down her cheek.

"Baby girl. Don't you dare ever think that again! Reid also told you to go looking for us because he knew he couldn't do it himself. You kept him calm because he knew no matter what you were looking for us. If pretty boy was awake right now he would tell you not to blame yourself. You have done everything that you could and we all came out there alive. Feel for yourself. You can feel his pulse, baby girl. You know Pretty boy is a fighter. We don't blame you and he wouldn't want you to blame yourself. So baby girl please stop that feeling for your Genius. He will make it through all of this and then he will say this to you." Morgan said softly as he looked into Garcia's eyes.

She gave him a small smile as her eyes wandered over to Reid and she froze.

"Reid?!" She said in nothing more than a whisper and everyone followed her view.

There on the corner of Reid's face was a small tear.

"Genius if you can hear me please squeeze my hand. I know you can do that, Boy wonder." She said as she looked down to her hand and everyone else did the same as they took a step closer to the bed.

At first, nothing happened but then she felt a light pressure against her fingers.

She immediately started to cry but now happy tears.

"That's it, boy wonder. I'm so proud of you. Please let me see that beautiful hazel brown eyes of you." She said with a smile on her face.

Emily meanwhile had already pressed the call button for the doctor.

Just as the nurse and the doctor came in and wanted to ask what was going on, Spencer's eyes slowly started to flutter and finally, after a few attempts, they fully opened.

"Welcome back Dr. Reid!"

* * *

 **This story is almost finished ;(**

 **Maybe one of two more chapters. I will see you guys with the next chapter. Thank you Sarry for this wonderful chapters.**

 **Please review and we will see you in the next update.**


	13. Changes- 13- Dextolan

**(Disclaimer: We do not own Criminal Minds or its characters.)**

 **Thank you guys for all of your ongoing support through this story.**

 **Me and Sarry have come to the decision to end this story here ;( it's been a whirlwind (literally) and it's finally coming to an end.**

 **Please enjoy the final chapter. Much love to everyone who favourited, followed, reviewed, alerted, and just read our story.**

* * *

Hotch stared up at the tattered remains of the FBI building. He could make out the roof which had since collapsed in on itself. The glass doors on the bottom floor had been smashed from the pressure of the water. Hotch could see bricks piled up through the cracked and foggy glass, he recognised the particular area of rubble that he and his team had climbed.

His eyes glided over their floor which was leaning with the rest of the building. He didn't want to thin about the deverstation of their office. He grimaced when he realised he'd left Jack's baseball trophy on his desk.

Suddenly, Hotch felt a soft hand grab hold of his and squeeze. He glanced to his left and saw Garcia's purple rimmed glasses staring back at him, her eyes filled with sadness and her mouth quivering between a smile and a grimace.

She didn't say anything and instead looked up at their second home. A tear slipped down her cheek at the thought of her lair being in a similar state to the building. She grabbed Morgan's hand and he held onto her tightly.

JJ stepped out from behind the car and joined her team in gaping at their workplace. She was quickly joined by Emily. None of them could speak, their words caught in their throats.

Spencer rolled his chair beside Hotch and offered him a lop sided smile. Aaron couldn't help smiling back at the young man's resilience. Rossi trailed behind Reid with his hands hovering over the chairs handles in case the boy needed help. _He'll have to get used to it either way,_ Rossi thought to himself bitterly. He watched the young man gaze at the disaster that had permanently damaged his spine. He cringed when Spencer suddenly looked down numbly at his legs as if he were hoping for them to show some sign of mobility.

Hotch reached down and took Reid's trembling hand out of his lap and gave it a reassuring squeeze, transferring his heat into the bony fingers. Spencer's smile returned as he pulled his attention from his useless legs. He reached up and grabbed Rossi's hand and they became one; united as they glared at the thing that had almost broke them apart.

JJ closed her eyes and felt her mind drift back to that day.

 _"Hotch!" She cried as her foot sank into the floor. She jumped back, heaving in panic. Hotch grasped her arm and guided her safely across the quivering floor. JJ collapsed into his arms crying in relief._

 _"We can do this," Hotch insisted, taking her face in his hands._

 _"I-I'm scared, Aaron," she mumbled. Hotch swept her tears away and gave her a stern look._

 _"We're getting out of here. I promise."_

Morgan felt JJ's fingers dig into his hand and he saw a tear slither down her cheek. He glanced at Garcia who looked back at him her bottom lip shaking as she held his gaze.

No witty Garcia greeting left her chapped lips.

She took a deep breath as a memory flashed before her eyes.

 _The floor disappeared. She remembered that part. She could feel it crushing her; forcing the air from her lungs and forbidding it to re-enter._

 _Garcia wriggled her fingers and felt dust and plaster shift with them._

 _"Help," she whispered into the stone that was kissing her chin and biting into her flesh with its jagged edge._

 _She could hear Morgan's frantic voice and she closed her eyes, praying that he'd find her._

 _I'm going to die, she thought._

Spencer could see the roof and recalled standing on the edge looking down to where he was currently sat.

 _Standing,_ Spencer thought begrudgingly. He could still remember what that felt like.

He peeked down at the set of wheels he had acquired. A sigh escaped his lips and he closed his eyes.

 _"Spencer! You're awake!" Garcia squealed. Spencer frowned at her, still swallowing hard from the tube that had been in his mouth._

 _"Wha-," he started, but his throat screamed out in agony as his voice vibrated through it._

 _"Easy, Kiddo, you've had it rough," Rossi laid a hand on Spencer's leg and smiled with a mix of relief and happiness. Spencer scowled at Rossi's hand and didn't notice the straw being thrust in front of his face._

 _"Drink. It'll make you feel better," Hotch ordered. Reid took a quick sip and focused back on what was terrifying him._

 _"You alright?" Morgan asked. Rossi squeezed_ _Spencer's leg again and the young man gasped at him._

 _Why can't I feel it, Spencer thought desperately._

 _"What's wrong, Spencer?" Emily asked. Spencer looked around and saw her on his left side beside Morgan, both of whom were watching him anxiously._

 _Reid tried to wiggle his toes but nothing happened. He sat up and reached for his uninjured leg._

 _"Woah, woah," Morgan said, pushing him back gently. Spencer's vision spun dangerously, but he had managed to poke his leg and when he felt nothing the heart monitor had started beeping faster._

 _"I-I," he swallowed thickly, his throat still protesting._

 _"Don't exert yourself," Rossi interrupted, tapping Spencer's leg again. Reid's breath caught and his eyes filled with tears._

 _"I-I c-can't f-fe-feel..." He hicupped breathlessly. "F-feel m-my legs," he whimpered and the team looked down wide eyed at him._

Spencer allowed his eyes to trail over the shiny arm rests and the rigid wheels that he knew Rossi had paid a fair price for despite his protests that he didn't need to pay for it.

Morgan looked over at Spencer who was looking sadly at his chair. He bit the inside of his lip hard, drawing blood.

 _It should have been me,_ his mind berated.

Spencer could feel eyes on him, but instead of hiding he raised his chin bravely and looked back at the FBI building. What was left of the glass panel in the door reflected a frail young man confined to a wheel chair with his strong, capable team stood beside him, holding him together.

He wished that the glass reflected the man he was two weeks before. Messenger bag slung over his shoulder, coffee in one hand, a book in the other, his legs moving out of their own accord. Now he could never read while moving unless someone was pushing him and he wouldn't make a habit of that. He shook away the former image of himself from his mind and saw the man he had become. He sat up straighter and fixed his reflection with a determined stare.

"Let's go back to mine," Rossi broke the silence and the team all turned to him.

"Spaghetti?" Garcia quipped, an eyebrow raised.

"Carbonara," Rossi replied. Garcia's face split into a grin and she nodded eagerly.

"Red wine?" Emily asked and they all broke out into grins.

"Why not," Rossi Sighed, making a pantomine of rolling his eyes .

The team laughed and slowly broke their chain, turning back for their SUVs. Spencer grabbed his wheels and stuck his tongue out with concentration as he tried to turn the equally stubborn contraption that had become his new legs. Rossi tried to shake away the sympathetic look on his face and avoided watching the younger agent struggle.

"Let me, Kid. Give those arms a break," Rossi muttered, grabbing the handles. Reid looked as if he was about to protest, but his arms really were getting tired from the last few days of pushing himself around Rossi's 'mansion'. He nodded and relaxed into his chair as Rossi rolled him to the SUV.

"Can you make me a coffee instead?" He asked quietly, giving Rossi a shy smile.

"Anything you want, kiddo."

* * *

 **Don't kill me! I'm sorry! Also sorry to Sarry22 because I kind of sprang that plot twist on her too ;D**

 **Thank you guys so much for all of your support, it has meant so much! I have loved writing and collating on this story so I have to give a massive thank you to my lovely writing partner: Sarry22! I wish her all the luck on her stories.**

 **Sarry has told me to thank you guys so much for everything and how much of an honour it was for her to write this story (honestly, she is super stoked about the support you guys have given us and we are both so overwhelmed with the number of people who read this!) and I'd just like to tell her that I appreciate everything she's done for this story and I hope we can collaborate again soon!**

 **Well...that's it... I hope you all enjoyed this journey as much as we did!**

 **Goodbye from both of us!**


End file.
